


The Burden of Choices

by Pseudopsia



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Genre: Adventure, Angst, F/M, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-17
Updated: 2018-05-20
Packaged: 2019-04-03 21:17:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14004936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pseudopsia/pseuds/Pseudopsia
Summary: The map fragment leading to Luke Skywalker is discovered, but the discovery of a Force sensitive woman leads to clashes between the Resistance and the First Order as they struggle for dominance. When Starkiller is destroyed the Resistance must resort to covert operations as they spark the flame of hope and democracy in the galaxy. Choices are given, decisions are to be made.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> **A/N: Hello. I hope you enjoy reading the story. I'm hoping to weave various characters and storylines as the Resistance and the First Order clash over control of the galaxy. Please enjoy!**

The landscape was dry, but the air was cool in the night. The sun had set a few hours ago on Jakku, providing some relief to the inhabitants of the desert planet. The planet was considered a wasteland. Though located in the Inner Rim of the galaxy it was not frequented by casual travelers.

Poe Dameron, a Resistance pilot, had arrived just as the sun set. His contact, Lor San Tekka, was a keeper of Jedi knowledge of lore. Few knew of Tekka's existence, which is how the man had lived for so long. It was why he resided on Jakku.

A small, sphere shaped robot followed closely on Poe's heels, his domed head turning back and forth to examine the surroundings. The orange and white robot made a series of soft beeps at Poe, assessing the environment as they climbed a dune to see a small village.

"I know, BB-8," Poe nodded at him, and gave him a pat on the head. He pushed dark curly hair out of his eyes as he assessed the landscape himself. The village was small, and a few villagers were finishing up their day's work. Lights were beginning to be switched on as Poe and BB-8 crested the dune and made their way down towards a small, unassuming hut. "Wait here. I won't be long," Poe promised. BB-8 beeped at him again, and Poe grinned, "You're keeping watch. Let me know if you see anything." Poe's eyes flicked up to examine the village in the dying light before regarding the robot again. He kept his voice low, "They shouldn't know we're here."

He stepped inside the hut after knocking and hearing a voice call out to him to enter. Tekka looked the same as the Rebellion intel had described him, if only a few years older, and a few more white hairs, Poe noted as he greeted the older man. The man wore loose flowing robes, common desert garba against the harsh sun and fierce winds. They were patched and worn, but Tekka looked healthy despite being in hiding from the First Order. Poe wished he could say the same about himself. His own clothes were grimy from the desert already.

Tekka sat him down with an offering of tea, and they sat at low chairs and a low table. Poe accepted gratefully, trying to remove the gritty feel of sand in his mouth.

The old man grinned as Poe choked down his first sip. "It is made from the flowers I find in the dunes here. It is an acquired taste." Tekka took a sip from his own cup, seemingly immune to the bitter taste.

Poe nodded with a veiled grimace and took another small sip to swish out any remaining sand. He had been on the planet for only an hour or so, but wasn't sure if he'd ever get all the sand off him. "Thank you," he said finally, raising his cup to Tekka before gently setting it down on the table. "I assume you've received our transmissions then?" he asked. At Tekka's nod, he continued, "Do you have the map?"

Tekka nodded without hesitation and drew out a battered pouch from a pocket in his robes.

  


BB-8 had begun patrolling around the hut, but drew too many stares from the passing villagers. He moved away, to begin assessing the village in case Poe wanted to know more about the makeup of the place. His internal temperature receptors told him that it was beginning to get near to freezing, not unusual for a desert planet.

It was the small streak of light that flashed in the night sky that caught BB-8's attention. The village produced nearly no light, and with BB-8's scanning abilities, he could pick out the incoming First Order ships with ease among the starry night.

Stormtrooper transporters. His head made a 180 degree turn and he sped back to Poe to warn him. There was no time for a greeting as he burst through the wooden slats in the doorway.

  


As Tekka ushered them out, Poe saw the incoming ships flying over the dunes. BB-8 had already informed him that they were transports. "You have to hide," he said to Tekka.

"You have to leave," the old man said grimly. Poe paused, then nodded before beginning to run towards his X-wing. BB-8 beeped hurriedly as they moved towards the ship.

Poe hauled himself into the craft as BB-8 was pulled in. It was crucial to begin the take off sequence before the stormtroopers caught sight of the craft. BB-8 let out a long wailing sound as the stormtroopers caught sight of them though, and a lucky shot struck the back engine.

Poe cursed as the dash in front of him lit up with warning signals. He pressed the distress signal, hoping the craft would last long enough to alert the Resistance of what happened. Poe engaged the Stormtroopers with his weapon system before bailing out. BB-8 dropped out and Poe crouched under the X-wing with the robot. A glance told him the engine was fried unless he could get help.

"You take this. It's safer with you than it is with me," he said firmly. BB-8 complied and a holding dock slid out of his round body. Poe pulled out the map chip and tucked it inside. "You get as far away as you can, you hear me? I'll come back for you," he promised. "It'll be alright," he reassured him as the robot beeped sadly. The two paused before BB-8 began to roll away from the fray, and Poe readied his blaster before striking down Stormtroopers as they passed by.

  


"It'll be a few more hours." Jodar Madel, captain of the freighter Bishop, relaxed after doubling checking his calculations. "How's she looking?" he asked the crew member sitting in the co-pilot's chair.

Ashe Capens sat in the copilot's chair, studiously taking it all in. Her clothing was loose and comfortable, a dark blue wraparound sleeveless tunic and tan pants that tucked into her boots. Her pale blonde hair was bound back in a thick braid, keeping errant strands away from her face. Smaller braids wound in and out, a style that was common on her home planet. A braid with a pale blue ribbon intertwined swung loose as she examined the dashboard in front of her, recalling the different meanings of the systems represented before her. "Everything looks fine..." she said slowly, her blue eyes looking to her captain and mentor. He nodded in encouragement. "I know we have enough fuel to make it to Rakata Prime," she said, naming their destination. Jodar nodded, waiting to see what she would say next. "However, I know we'll need to empty and clean the tank before we refuel."

Jodar looked pleased at her assessment but frowned nonetheless. "How did you know that? Our fuel gauge doesn't indicate we need a cleaning." His hand, a deep purple colour, tapped the gauge in question. The fuel needle was dropping slowly towards the quarter full symbol. A small sensor with a clumsily hand drawn broom next to it was unlit. His black eyes met Ashe's pale blue eyes.

Ashe smiled slightly. "I overhead you and Amelea talking about it in the break room," she said, turning back towards the console. Despite working with Jodar for a few years, it was hard to look away sometimes. She had heard of the Keshiri people, known their purple skin and vibrant coloured hair and eyes, but Jodar had been the first Keshiri she'd ever met.

Luckily, Jodar had a sense of humour about her method. "If Amelea ever steps down from co-pilot…" He teased her. "We can look into a higher pay when we land on Rakata. After we land and unload, talk to me after your day off."

Ashe shrugged off his offer. Ever since Jodar has discovered she was a reliable crew hand, he'd begun training her to different stations on the ship, finding her to be a quick learner. "Maybe," she said, non-committal. "I don't really need a day off though. Are you sure you don't need help looking for a new generator?" Jodar shook off her offer.

"I told you, you need a day off," he reminded her.

She shook her head, seeing it was a lost cause. Jodar always insisted that the crew take a day off while he and Amelea looked into the next shipments. "Anyways, I was thinking-" There was a sudden series of beeps from the communications panel behind them, and Ashe swivelled her chair to look, taking advantage of the co-pilot's chair proximity to the panel. "Were we expecting a message?" she said, peering at the panel.

Jodar frowned. "No. We weren't."

"RS-XWB1," Ashe noted the call sign. "There's no name, or message." She looked over her shoulder at Jodar, who had paused mid air getting out of his chair. "Do we know them?"

He sat back in his chair, but perched on the edge rather than sitting back in relaxation as he had before. His hand tapped at the ship's intercom while his eyes remained on the communications panel. "Amelea, come to the bridge."

"Jodar, is there something I should know about…" Ashe's voice trailed off as Jodar appeared to ignore her. He had turned to the navigation panel and begun to fiddle with the coordinates.

"Ashe, why don't you take a break?" Jodar said. Ashe nodded and stepped out as Amelea entered the cockpit. "Amelea, we've received a distress signal-" he said before the door shut in Ashe's face.

  


FN-2187 crouched over the body of his fallen comrade, sweating. His fellow trooper had passed his ungloved and bloody hand over FN-2187's helmet leaving a bloody streak that he could see on his visor. FN-2817 blinked and stumbled away, trying to keep from vomiting.

The environment around his was loud and chaotic. Fire was beginning to spread from a stormtrooper and their flamethrower. A villager ran by him, screaming, and another squad of troopers marched past him, firing at anything that moved. His vision showed various statistics, and the glowing numbers seem to blur in his vision. A rainbow of blaster bolts flying by distracted him, further obscuring his vision.

He leaned by a tall structure, trying to still his spinning his head. His vision still spun, but his hearing began to pick apart the jumble of noise around him. Shots firing, people screaming, the shriek of a First Order ship descending on the chaos.

Orders were being barked through the transmission communications in his helmet, and FN-2187 straightened, hesitantly holding his blaster up in the firing position. The gun felt heavy, as if it were a chore to hold. He regarded the other stormtroopers as they closed in on a group of villagers, guns ready to fire. His own hands was too far up the barrel of the blaster, and one slowly slid down towards the trigger. A commander barked at him to follow then to stand ready. FN-2187 nodded slowly, trying to breathe.

The First Order ship had landed and the door opened to reveal a black clad figure striding down the ramp. Light from the fires glinted off the silver metal of his helmet as the figure strode forward and FN-2187 locked his knees to keep from stumbling back.

  


Kylo Ren regarded the situation with disdain. The new intelligence had been correct. He could see the old Jedi curator was alive and well in front of him. However, it wasn't known that the villagers would be so well equipped to defend themselves. The villagers were surrounded by a group of stormtroopers, finally contained. He would have to speak with General Hux about the lack of reconnaissance that was happening even in in the most miserable planets. Jakku was far too central to have the Rebellion, or rebellious sects, be present in it.

"Look how old you've become," he sneered as the old man was brought to him, his helmet altering his voice to be deeper, more robotic.

The man looked him up and down, "Something far worse has happened to you," he said slowly.

Kylo Ren's hand tightened into a fist. He didn't want to play games. "You know what I've come for." He demanded the map, but the man refused to speak on the matter, and only called back to Kylo's past. He was done with his games and didn't want to have the stormtroopers listen to the filth the man said. There was no need for gossip about his own past to become commonplace. Unsheathing his lightsaber, he cut down the old man with ease. There was no resistance there.

There was the harsh sound as a blaster fired, and he turned, reaching with the force to feel the laser blast crackling through the air. It was child's play to stop it and the blue light shivered to a standstill mid air. The pilot was easy to see in the open space and he was frozen by the force binding him.

Kylo relaxed his posture as two stormtroopers disarmed the shooter and hauled him over. They forced him to his knees as he looked on. The man was easily identified as Resistance, from his roguish demeanor to his scruffy clothes. He had looked in wonder at the blast beam in the air, and Kylo examined his sweating face as he knelt down. What had the Resistance told their people about the famous Kylo Ren, he wondered as he examined the pilot.

"So, who talks first? You talk first, I talk first?" The pilot was trying to be glib, he thought, and glanced sideways at the fallen body of Tekka.

"The old man gave it to you," he murmured, his mask giving his words a robotic drone. The pilot tried to continue his act of verbal sidestepping, and Kylo ordered him searched. "Put him onboard."

Two stormtroopers hauled the stuttering pilot away and their captain asked him for furthers orders about the villagers. Kylo glanced at the silverplated stormtrooper before facing the group of traitors who harboured a Jedi sympathizer. "Kill them all."

He gazed past the writhing bodies as the screams barely distracted his mind as he turned over the situation. The First Order's spies had tracked the lone x-wing, but it was a fluke that they had discovered it in the first place. They had no knowledge of Tekka being located here, and who knew how long he had been here, poisoning the inhabitants' minds. Their death would be like salting the ground. No more sympathizers would live here.

The stormtroopers' blasting ended and Kylo glanced at them as they marched back to the transports. One trooper, with a bloody handprint smeared across his white helmet stood with his gun lowered, watching the villagers, and Kylo.

Kylo's gaze slid over the stormtrooper and he loosed the blaster bolt as he turned back towards his ship.

  


Ashe lingered outside the closed door to the bridge, straining to hear the conversation inside. There was the jolt as the ship left lightspeed and a shudder as Ashe presumed the Bishop was turning. A crackle alerted the crew to turn their gazes towards the speakers of the ship's intercom.

"We are making a temporary detour. We will be arriving in a few hours." The intercom crackled once more and fell silent.


	2. Chapter 2

Jodar's hands sweated as he checked and rechecked the course he had hastily plotted. He had sent Amelea to placate the questions of the crew as he needed to send out a discrete signal to the Resistance that one of their X-wings was in trouble. He tied his silvery hair into a ponytail as he examined the call sign again. The signal had been weak, it was chance that he had been close enough to receive it. It was unlikely any other ship who could properly read and respond to the signal was nearby.

A panel by the base of the navigation console sprang open after he tapped it with his foot twice. Underneath was a small, but powerful blaster that he hooked into his belt as the desert planet of Jakku sprang into view.

They had arrived.

\----

Kylo Ren examined the prisoner strapped to the chair in front of him. The First Order's torturers had barely gotten anything out of the pilot that Kylo couldn't discern from just looking at him.

The prisoner, Poe Dameron, sweated openly, his black hair plastering itself to his head, and his tan skin whitened with strain as Kylo stretched out a hand. He could feel the man's mind in his reach. His defenses were strong, and Kylo could feel the touch of her presence as the pilot feebly resisted opening his mind. His untrained defences were nothing to the brute strength Kylo possessed though, and the secrets the man held were revealed. A series of images flashed through Kylo's mind, each one discarded as soon as Kylo saw no use in them. A house, a smiling woman and man, a first kiss, medals being received. The pilot grunted as Kylo pushed those images away and pried further. An expanse of stars across the sky, ships streaming along a river system, a droid - small, orange and white. The old man. A small data key.

Kylo grinned smugly, his face hidden beneath the mask he wore, as he informed his subordinate, General Armitage Hux. "It's in a droid, a BB unit."

\----

FN-2187 marched resolutely towards the interrogation cell. He was slated for a retraining stint before the day was over. A droplet of sweat dripped down his forehead at the thought, and he stiffened, determined to keep his demeanor.

"Ren wants the prisoner," he said with a monotone as the door slid open. The two stormtrooper guards nodded and the shackles opened. The pilot was shaky on his feet, and it seemed he would only stand with FN-2187's firm grip on his arm but his pace matched the stormtrooper's eventually. "Turn here," FN-2187 said harshly and shoved the pilot into an alcove. "Listen carefully, you do exactly as I say, I can get you out of here" he began to tell the pilot.

"What?" the pilot said, and FN-2187 pulled off his helmet.

The pilot seemed confused, understandably, and kept asking FN-2187 if he was part of the Resistance, but eventually understood the plan of escape.

FN-2187 replaced his helmet and opened the shackles on the prisoner's wrist, but left the openings hidden against the pilot's jacket. He pressed the barrel of his blaster against the pilot's arm and they made their way to the docking station.

\----

Ashe pressed herself against the window of the Bishop, straining to see the desert planet beneath them. She had never seen a planet so bare of any greenery. The Bishop flew smoothly and entered the atmosphere of Jakku. Amelea had given them that information at least.

The co-pilot had been elusive in her answers. Ashe was bothered by it, as was Gavin, another crew member. Taka and Inadra seemed unbothered by the co-pilot's secrecy. Or… Ashe mulled the thought as she watched them discreetly arm themselves with additional blasters, they knew what to expect.

Ashe locked eyes with Amelea as the co-pilot drummed on the glass.

The woman looked strained, her short black hair was freshly pinned back and her green-brown eyes seemed to take in every detail. "Have you ever been to a desert planet before?" she asked idly.

"No," Ashe replied, and her hand tapped nervously against the blaster strapped to her leg as the planet looked closer. She rechecked that her arm bracers were on tight, and knelt to tighten the laces on her boots.

It was early morning on Jakku, but the day began hot.

"No lifeforms," Amelea announced, a scanner in one hand. The other held a blaster. Ashe and Jodar followed her down the Bishop's loading ramp. Taka and Inadra took up the near. Gavin lingered at the top of the ramp.

Smoking ruins of a small settlement crumbled before them. Most of the fires that had burned all night had gone out. The sun peeked over the horizon and made Ashe squint in the unrelenting brightness while the heat beat into her pale skin .

Amelea and Ashe made their way towards the ruins. Ashe glanced back to see Jodar edge cautiously towards a heap of twisted metal.

"What's a freighter crew like us doing here?" Ashe asked Amelea, eyeing their small crew. "Since when do we answer distress signals?"

"When we deem it necessary," Amelea said grimly, her mouth flattening into a straight line.

"We?" Ashe asked. Amelea didn't answer.

Jodar's voice rang out across the land. "Here!"

Ashe panted lightly as she and Amelea ran over to Jodar. He was by the metal heap, nudging a partially destroyed panel with his blaster. He and Amelea murmured to each other.

"Was this a ship?" Ashe asked, walking around the heap. A faint breeze blew into her face, along with a sprinkling of sand. Ashe shook her head, feeling the grit enter her mouth. Her pale blonde hair was neatly braided back, but she was certain she'd find sand in her bed tonight from it.

A metal scrap skittered across the sand at her feet and she watched it bounce past. The wind would soon smother the fire and ruins if she knew anything. Ashe tilted her head at the sand, watching the grains dance. The pattern was faint, nearly hidden by the morning wind.

"I found a trail," she called out.

\----

General Armitage Hux stood at the bridge of the Finalizer, a Star Destroyer class ship as it idled above the planet Jakku. His black leather gloves creaked as he clenched and unclenched his hands into fists. An officer stood near him, nervously eyeing him. The man swallowed nervously as Hux turned his head slightly to eye him.

"What do you mean he escaped?"

The officer shrank back, and Hux narrowed his eyes at him. "Ah, the Resistance Pilot escaped, uh, via a fighter. He was … not alone."

"Track the fighter," Hux barked at the officer who turned tail and jogged away. "Engage the turbo lasers," he snapped at an officer at a console. He nodded and turned to his screen.

Hux stood at the forefront of the bridge. The stolen fighter was flying below the Finalizer, as per typical Resistance strategy, likely trying to disable whatever weaponry they could before flying off.

"Turbo lasers are down," the officer reported. Hux's mouth contorted into a scowl and he looked down, willing to see through the layers of metal to see the rogue pilot and stormtrooper. "Use the ventral cannons," he barked.

"Is it the Resistance pilot?" Kylo asked brusquely, striding into view.

Hux stiffened at his presence on the bridge. It was a nasty habit of Kylo Ren to takeover command of Hux's position in the bridge, overruling any commands he made. "Yes, and he had help from one of our own," Hux said shortly. It was painful to admit one of his stormtroopers would do that. "We're searching the databases to find out exactly who-"

"The one from the village," Kylo interrupted. Hux frowned slightly and made note to ensure Captain Phasma gave him a detailed report of the village attack.

\----

"-We can't go back to Jakku! We've gotta get out of this star system!" The newly named Finn shouted at his pilot behind him.

"I gotta get my droid before the First Order does," the pilot said firmly.

"A droid?" he said in disbelief. He and Poe Dameron argued back and forth until Poe mentioned the droid's contents. Finn wanted to argue further. He had tasted freedom and didn't want to stay in the eye of the First Order any longer than he had to. He grunted as an object slammed into the side of the fighter and sent them spinning towards the planet. He lost consciousness as the side of the planet loomed closer until their landing.

\----

"Look!" Gavin pointed past the windshield of the Bishop, drawing everyone's eye to the falling object in the sky. The Bishop flew slowly at a low altitude as Jodar piloted the craft along the faint trail Ashe had found in the sand.

A small ship was careening towards a far off point in the distance. Fire streamed from a partially destroyed side, Ashe noted, narrating what she could see to the others. Jodar nodded, and angled the Bishop towards the ship. A piece of cloth fluttered away from the side of the ship, swelling into a parachute with a lone chair hanging from it.

"That's a First Order fighter," Gavin hissed, tugging at Jodar's shoulder. "Don't go near it!"

"They may need assistance," Jodar said neutrally. Gavin and Ashe looked at him with twin looks of incredulity. Jodar was notorious for his hatred of the First Order. He ignored them as he steered towards the parachute. The damaged fighter had crashed and soon exploded.

"Since when do we help the First Order?" Ashe asked.

Amelea's eyes flicked up to the black specks in the sky. Two more fighters. "Since when do First Order ships fire on themselves?" The Bishop made way to land.

"Stay here," Jodar ordered the crew before lowering the ramp.

Ashe ignored him, and edged towards the side of the ramp, watching Jodar and Amelea move cautiously towards the landed parachute and chair. The body in the chair remained prone, held in only by the chair's straps.

The sun was high in the sky as Ashe exited the Bishop and followed the other two.

"I told you to stay," Jodar said, but made no move to force her back. Amelea ignored her.

Ashe unhooked her blaster. "I thought you were training me to be your number two?" she asked.

The trio stayed silent as they arrived at the chair and it's contents.

"Shit!" Jodar knelt to unbuckle the strapping.

Ashe knelt to help him with the body. "He's alive," she said incredulously. Jodar fumbled at the man's neck for a pulse, then he nodded.

"We need to get him inside."

"Quickly, they've spotted us." Amelea ushered them back to the Bishop. She and Ashe tumbled the unconscious man into the tiny medical bay the Bishop possessed as Jodar ran to the pilot's seat. Amelea left to assist with takeoff.

Ashe fumbled with the bandages as the Bishop jolted into takeoff. Taka shouted from down the hall about the shields failing. The man's breathing was stronger now, now that he was out of the desert heat and the chair straps weren't half choking him. She peeked at the man's dog tags that hung around his neck as she pull off the remaining scraps of his shirts to see more scrapes.

Poe Dameron. The name wasn't familiar to her. She eyed him as the Bishop slid around. He had dark hair and tanned skin, and his eyes, dark brown, responded well to light. It wasn't likely a head wound that was ailing him, she decided. Just the effect from falling from space and crashing landing had knocked the oxygen from him temporarily. He'd likely wake up soon in panic mode. Preemptively, she strapped him down. Half to protect herself if he woke up, and to make sure he didn't fall out of the bunk as the Bishop flew.

"My droid!" Ashe fell back as Poe Dameron thrashed in his restraints. "Where am I? Who are you?" he asked rapidly. Amelea skidded into the room as Ashe pounded on the intercom for help.

"Where is he?" she asked urgently, and Poe murmured in her ear, his energy spent. "Ashe, help Jodar," Amelea ordered and began to loosen the straps. "Tell him we can't leave."

Her hair half escaped her braid as Ashe slid to the cockpit, and she felt the grains of sand hiding in it trickle down her back.

"We can't jump to hyperspace," Jodar informed her as he steered. "Where's Amelea? I need to her here. Get Gavin to do what he has to to that hyperdrive!" He fired off several rapid orders.

"Amelea says we need to stay," Ashe said, sliding into the co-pilot seat. A quick glance at the console told her the shields were out of commision, and the hyperdrive was failing, and fuel was low. "That's what our new friend told her," she said, side eyeing Jodar.

Jodar slammed on the intercom, speaking lowly but harshly into it. Amelea's voice crackled over the speaker, "The map's here, Jodar."


	3. Chapter 3

Finn had discarded the bulk of his distinctive white armour, leaving the black clothing underneath. Each piece felt like a weight off his shoulders, though his mind felt heavy.

His shield from the sun, a brown leather jacket with red stripes at the shoulders, felt heavy as well. He had scavenged it from the wreckage that possibly held his only friend in the whole world.

Finn's heart twisted. He had made a friend for the first time, and now he was gone. Finn struggled with this as he trudged along the dunes. His concentration broke only when he saw the glimmer of society as he crested a dune.

"Water? Water?" he begged, stumbling from person to person. They shrugged him off, pushing him away until he saw a pool of water. He stumbled to it and drank the cloudy water greedily. He gagged but forced it back until he drank his fill.

He leaned against the pool as a lumbering creature ambled up to it. The fuzziness of his vision faded as the water began to rehydrate him.

The people ignored him as they walked by, intent on their business. His eyes slid over them, unfocused until the squeal of a droid caught his attention. A short, squat alien dumped out a sphere shaped droid from a rough sack. The droid beeped angrily as the alien whacked it, and turned to speak to an alien merchant behind a counter.

_...an orange and white BB unit... one of a kind... Utterly unique..._

Finn started to his feet, his vision blurring and focusing once more as he strode over to the BB unit. The BB unit, seeing him, squealed and rolled towards him. The alien who had him in a sack turned and shouted, stumbling after the droid.

"Hey-" Finns shouted before the BB unit crashed into him, knocking him to the ground. The droid wailed at him, and beeped furiously. "-No, I-" Finn tried to say. He didn't speak droid, it wasn't necessary for stormtroopers to understand them. The BB unit beeped furiously again and shocked him with a module that flipped out of him. "Ow! No, stop that!" It shocked him again.

The short alien had caught up to them and began to furiously beat at Finn's feet, screaming at him in another language he didn't understand. Finn scooted away, and dragged himself up, towering over the alien. The small creature, seeing his size, thought twice about attacking again and stepped back. He was shouted at again in the alien language as the alien backed away from him. He felt like it was supposed to be a threat but shrugged it off to see the BB unit looking up at him, poised to zap him again.

Finn kept one eye on the retreating alien and knelt down to the BB's height. It jabbed him, but didn't zap. It jabbed him again, prodding the jacket he wore.

He plucked at the sleeve, feeling regret wash over him again. "I helped him escape," he said softly to the unit. "We were attacked and crash landed." He paused. "Poe didn't make it."

The BB unit's head drooped and he let out a low, sorrowful trill.

"I'm sorry." Finn awkwardly patted the droid's curved side in apology.

Their time was cut short as the small alien waddled back with a tall crony by his side. The BB unit squeaked and hid behind Finn as he jumped to his feet. Finn patted at his side where did standard issue blaster should have been, if he hadn't abandoned the First Order.

The BB unit had the right idea and began to roll rapidly away, beeping rapidly. Finn followed his lead, trying to decipher the droid language while looking for a way out. The alien and his friend followed in hot pursuit.

Finn almost tumbled over as the BB unit came to a short stop in front of him, letting out a high pitched shriek and swivelled around to head in another direction. Two stormtroopers stood a ways away, talking to a robed humanoid who shrugged as they spoke. The two stormtroopers shook their heads and scanned the area before examining Finn.

The BB unit was starting to get far from him, and Finn struggled to catch up as the two stormtroopers recognized him and the jacket he wore, as well as the droid previously by him. They shouted at him to halt.

"Hey!" he shouted at the BB unit, not knowing his name. "We need to get out of here!" The droid chattered at him. "I don't speak that!" he said in frustration. Finn stumbled into a fleeing civilian as the two stormtroopers opened fire. Shit, they thought he was Resistance or they knew he was a traitor. Finn managed to head off the droid and herd him into a tent with tattered fabric walls.

"Doesn't anyone have blasters?" he asked in frustration, pushing aside some merchant wares. Two blaster shots ripped through the tent fabric and he fell to the floor. The BB unit nudged him and beeped. "What?"

He beeped again, rolling into Finn's side before leaving the tent. Finn stared at the unit in frustration as two more bolts shredded the tent above him. He fought his way out of the scraps and tailed the BB unit who was heading with full speed into the open desert.

"We can't go that way!" he shouted at the droid. The BB unit's head turned to beep at him without straying from his course. "Fighters!" he explained, assuming the droid's words, pointing to the sky. A freighter was speeding above the dunes with two fighters following. Finn ducked as an errant shot from the fighters strayed near him. The BB unit beeped rapidly again and turned sharply towards where several ships were docked. Finn followed.

"I can't fly a ship. I don't have that training!" he yelled at the BB unit, guessing his plan. It beeped rapidly at him and he glared at it as he ran. "Can you fly a ship?" he asked harshly, panting heavily. The unit beeped sarcastically at him.

The two fugitives swerved at the TIE fighters landed a strike on the low flying freighter. It stuttered and began to fall. It bounced once, twice on the dunes before settling into a slide through the sand. It slid by Finn and the BB unit, knocking into a parked ship and crumpling it.

"Now what?" Finn asked the droid. It looked up at him and veered away towards another parked ship. "What part of 'I can't fly a ship' don't you understand?" he shouted.

\----

"I don't think it can fly" Ashe said, looking at the flashing console before her.

Jodar tapped at a panel, "Maybe." The ship jolted with another hit. "Maybe not." He chewed on his lip in concentration.

Ashe felt the hair prickle on the back of her neck and she stood. "Jodar," she said, her voice low. The purple skinned man looked up at her. "If you are what I think you are, we need to leave. There's more fighters."

Jodar glanced up at the sky through the cracked windshield. Three more TIE fighters burst through the light cloud cover. He pressed the intercom button, keeping his eyes on the incoming ships, "Arm yourselves. Meet on the loading dock."

Ashe and Jodar left the cockpit and ran towards the loading dock. Ashe glanced down the hall at the med bay to see Amelea supporting their new friend out of the room. He loosely held her blaster.

"Are we really doing this?" Gavin asked as the crew gathered.

"Do you want the First Order to kill you?" Amelea asked harshly. She transferred Poe's weight to Taka who stumbled under the dead weight. Ashe moved to help support him as Amelea pried a panel off the wall.

Gavin paled. "Are those grenades? Are we contraband smugglers?" He sent a panicked look to Ashe.

"That's not all there is to it, I think..." Ashe murmured, seeing some boxes underneath the weaponry. They were marked medical supplies.

"You support this?" Gavin hissed under his breath, sidling closer to her. His grip tightened on his blaster as he eyed the nearly unconscious pilot hanging off Ashe.

She hesitated. "I support being alive, for now."

There was a groan of metal bending as another shot struck the hull.

Amelea started to lower the ramp and threw a grenade down it to ward off any attackers. The crew moved down as it went off. Two fallen troopers lay at the base of the partially destroyed ramp.

"Here, you're the better shot," Inadra smirked at Ashe, handing off an oversized blaster she had hidden behind a panel. Ashe accepted the blaster, leaving Poe in the hands of Inadra and Taka. "Oh, he's cute," Inadra winked.

"Let's focus on the current situation," Amelea said. She readied her blaster. Ashe did the same, flicking the safety off.

The crew inched down the ramp, still under the safety of the partially destroyed Bishop. The smell of melted metal was strong in the air. Ashe glanced out from under the overhang to see the TIE fighters speeding away from them, seemingly heading towards two small figures in the distance.

Ashe aimed her oversized blaster at the swooping TIE fighters in the air and fired, knocking one out. It spun, fire reaching out from a damaged side before crashing into the sand dunes in pieces.

"BB-8!" Poe dragged Inadra and Taka out of cover as he lurched toward a black clad figure and a small droid who were running towards another ship."Wait, is that the M-"

One TIE fighter peeled away from attacking the two fleeing figures and zeroed in on the Bishop's crew. Inadra aimed and shot at it, but it swooped away. Poe slumped against her and Taka, his energy spent, and she wobbled, trying to re-aim the blaster.

"What's our plan?" yelled Amelea to Jodar. He squinted in the blinding sun and the incoming TIE fighter circled around them for an attack.

"Follow the droid!" he commanded, and waved the rest of the crew out from the safety of the _Bishop_.

\----

"Report, General."

Hux briefly shut his eyes but opened them to glance at the looming figure next to him. "We have the criminals on the run. Their ship has been disabled. We'll have the droid as soon as we can transport it."

"About time," Kylo responded shortly.

"Sir?"

Two heads swivelled towards the officer. The woman glanced up at them from the workspace that was sunk into the floor, chosed to make eye contact with General Hux, as Kylo Ren wore his mask. "It seems the rebels have disabled one of the fighters."

Hux's face pulled into an ugly look as he considered the possibility. "Disabled?" he said, in partial disbelief. "That should be impossible-"

The woman coughed slightly, "Ah, not disabled, I mean destroyed. I-I'm sorry, sir."

"You said we disabled their ship," he said, his voice low and he bent to glare at the officer. Kylo tilted his head slightly to watch the conversation. Hux straightened, and looked down his nose at the officer. "How?" he asked briskly. "Is the downed ship still firing?"

"No, sir. It seems they, one of the rebels, shot it down with a blaster."

"Lucky shot." Hux straightened his jacket, trying to brush away nonexistent dust. "We only want the droid. Have the fighters fire on the rebels. No survivors-"

"Sir? They've made it onto the ship," another officer called out. "It's the, uh-" He hesitated. "- _Millenium Falcon_."

Kylo's hands jerked suddenly. "I'll take care of this," he said. "Have my ship readied for me." An officer nodded and scurried out of the room.

"They've taken off, but are staying low. It's confusing our sensors," the officer informed them. He grinned faintly. "One of our fighters has taken out the main weapon system, and we have one confirmed kill."

Hux waited until Kylo had almost left the room to respond, "Are you sure that's wise?"

Kylo stopped at the door, "What?"

"Their guns are down, and we have four fighters on them," Hux explained. "We'll destroy the-" He paused, watching Kylo's hands ball into fists at the further discussion of the the _Millenium Falcon_. "-craft and recover the droid from the wreckage."

"Then I'll recover the droid myself."

"I don't know if the Supreme Leader would like to hear of the personal interest you have in the droid's contents," Hux replied, keeping his tone even. "Or to hear of your insistence at dividing your training." Kylo's breathing harshened at Hux's thinly veiled threat.

"Uh, sir?"

"What?" Hux and Kylo barked at the officer, who stepped back slightly, paling.

"The M-, uh, ship, has escaped. All four fighters were destroyed."

"You said the weapon system was disabled," Kylo growled at Hux, who paled.

"They were disabled! How did they fire on the fighters? The secondary guns shouldn't be strong enough to destroy a fighter, let alone four?" Hux rounded on the officer, barking questions at the man.

"As far as we were informed, the rebels opened the loading door and fired on the fighters from within the ship."

Kylo turned to Hux. "What did you say earlier?" He tilted his head as Hux felt his face go red. "Lucky shot? Get me that droid!" he barked.


	4. Chapter 4

"That was crazy! I can't believe that worked."

Ashe admired the oversized blaster, "Right? This blaster's fantastic."

"Yeah, but your shooting was amazing-"

"I couldn't have done it without you telling me where to shoot though-"

The two grinned as they spoke over each other.

"I'm Finn."

"I'm Ashe," she said, extending a hand to shake Finn's. "We should probably talk to Jodar and figure out what's going on."

Finn nodded. The two had to untangle from each other. Ashe had tried to tie herself down but the strapping had snapped when the loading ramp opened and anything that wasn't strapped down blew out the loading area. Finn had managed to snag her around the waist before she had flown out with the debris.

"How did you know where the weak points are?" Ashe asked as they made their way to the cockpit.

Finn coughed, "I worked near the ships for a while." The two stumbled as the ship kicked into hyperspace.

She decided not to pry any further for now. A small round, orange and white droid started following on their heels as they walked. "Does he belong to you?" she asked Finn.

"No, a friend of mine- hey!" Finn fell to the ground as the droid seemingly rammed into the back of his legs. "Is this how you repay me, huh? Why'd you do that?" The droid flicked out a small module, beeping all the while, and Finn tried to scoot away, much to Ashe's amusement. "Don't shock me again!"

Ashe giggled as the grown man scooted up to the wall, trying to avoid the droid. "He's thanking you," she said. The droid beeped and a small lighter flicked out of the outstretched module. "He says you saved him," she explained, helping Finn up.

"Oh," said Finn. "I guess I did." He patted the droid's head. "You're welcome."

"Is your master the pilot?" Ashe asked the droid. It beeped, spinning it's domed head to look at her. "Are you BB-8?" The droid beeped the affirmative, and bumped into her legs. "Yeah, we've got your friend. Poe, right? He's in the med bay."

BB-8 made a high pitched noise and rolled away in the direction of the med bay, leaving the two humans in the dust.

"Wait." Finn grabbed Ashe by the shoulders. "Poe's alive?"

"Yeah, we picked him up in the desert after he ejected from his ship. He's why we knew to stay on Jakku," Ashe explained. Finn squeezed her in a hug and dragged her towards the med bay.

"He's still unconscious. Who's this?" said Amelea when the two humans reached the med bay. BB-8 was already there, bumping into Poe's hand that hung off the bed.

"This is Finn, he helped me shoot down the fighters," Ashe explained, as Finn released her hand to stand over Poe. "I'm sure Poe will be alright. He had a nasty crash is all," she explained to Finn and BB-8. She gave the droid a reassuring pat before looking around the room. "How is this thing still flying?" she asked nobody in particular.

"This ship has been through a lot," said Jodar coming out of the cockpit. "Good shooting, Ashe."

"Thanks, where's Inadra?" she asked.

Jodar sighed. "She and Gavin making sure the gunner's shaft is properly sealed. It wouldn't do to have the door collapse while we're in hyperspace."

Ashe stared at the metal flooring. After the gunner's station was shot, the ship had pulled up to allow Ashe a clear shot of the fighters. She had seen Taka's body on the sand below, surrounded by bits of the gunner's metal and glass caging.

"I should have been there," she said finally.

"Nonsense," Amelea snorted. "You were our cover and then you helped us bring Poe in. You did everything you could."

Ashe frowned, but kept silent. To say anything further would incite Amelea's defenses and Ashe didn't feel like talking about Taka anymore.

"Where are we going?" Finn said finally, breaking the silence. "I promised Poe I'd get BB-8 to the Resistance."

"We're part of the Resistance," Jodar said. "But we can't get to the base yet."

"Why not?" Amelea asked.

"Not enough fuel. We only had enough for a short jump. We'll have to make a stop to get a less, uh, conspicuous ship."

"I suppose they know what our transport looks like," mused Ashe. "Where are we going then?"

"Takodana. You and Gavin can part ways from us there."

"Wait, you're still not staying?" Amelea asked. "We'll need you if there's going to be anymore run ins with the First Order."

"I'm not part of the Resistance," Ashe explained. "I'm not part of this fight."

"You should be," Amelea muttered. Ashe frowned at her.

Finn paced to the small round table and slid into the booth. "It's not a fight," he said. "It's a slaughter. You can't win against them. You can only hold them off for so long." The table had a circular checkerboard pattern on it's top, and Finn tapped on it as he spoke, sketching the scope of the situation. "The First Order has a fleet not far from where we jumped. They've been developing a superweapon in a mined out planet on the outer edges of the galaxy. They have operatives in nearly every section of the galaxy looking for the Resistance." Holograms of alien creatures appeared on the surfaces, giving off tiny roars as they flexed aggressively at each other. Finn's hand drew back in surprise. Jodar leaned over and turned off the holograms. "It's impossible to survive against the First Order," Finn finished. "They've expanded too much under the New Republic."

A heavy silence hung over the room.

The rest of the way to Takodana was muted.

Ashe felt a certain amount of resolve in her decision to stay out of the political madness, despite what her crew mates tried to tell her. If Finn was correct, and that the First Order had managed to expand into a dictatorial faction while supposedly under the rule of the New Republic, what good could one person like herself do to change the tide?

"I bet you'd tell me that one person can make all the difference, right?" she said to the unconscious Poe Dameron. "You seem like the type."

Ashe was on the shift to watch over the injured parties. Poe still hadn't woken up, and Finn and BB-8 were constantly checking in. The crew feared he might have a brain injury. Ashe wasn't so sure, and kept reassuring Finn and BB-8 that Poe's body was trying to recover from a traumatic period through rest.

"Am I right?" she asked the round robot at her feet. BB-8 beeped in agreement. "I thought so."

"When did you learn to speak droid?" Finn asked, ducking into the room. He pulled up a barrel to sit on by the bed.

"When I started in the shipping business," she replied. "When did you become a soldier?"

Finn sighed, his eyes on Poe. "I was really little. I didn't have a choice."

Ashe kept an eye on Finn as she changed the cold compress on Poe's head. "It can be hard to remember that there's a person under the mask."

"Maybe that's why there are masks," Finn replied, his voice soft. "I never want to wear one again. I want to be my own person."

Ashe nodded, her thought was correct as she examined the former stormtrooper. She had seen them at checkpoints when there were inspections. They portrayed almost no emotion, and projected the feeling of sameness.

"On my planet, soon after I was born, the First Order wanted to take almost all of the newborns for their stormtrooper program," Ashe said. Finn looked up to her. "According to my dad, anyways. He refused to let them take anyone, even though the First Order would give enough credits to make everyone think twice."

"Parents were going to sell their children?" Finn asked softly.

"It had been a hard winter," Ashe explained. "The hardest one in years. People died from starvation. Ships froze coming into the atmosphere and crashed. People were desperate.

"Dad rallied the council members and forced the First Order out. Some people starved." Her eyes glazed over in memory. "But no one was a slave, he said. He wanted everyone to have at least that."

"So they were free to starve?"

"Those who couldn't make a choice were free. Parents could sell themselves," she explained, bristling at Finn's words. "But of course the First Order didn't want them. Children are easier to train than adults."

"So you escaped the soldier life to become a cargo shipper?" Finn asked.

"I did what I wanted to do," Ashe replied. "Dad hoped I would go into politics, but I wanted nothing to do with it. I wanted to see the galaxy," she said. "And I have."

Finn leaned back. "I'd like to see the galaxy." He paused. "I think I'll start with the outer rim."

Ashe nodded, recalling his fear of the expanding First Order. "What about you, BB-8?" She nudged the droid with her foot, and he swivelled to look up at her. "Will you see the galaxy with your pilot?"

The droid beeped back at her, and she nodded.

"What did he say?" Finn asked.

"He said he has to complete his mission first."

"Right, the map."

"Is that why the First Order was after you?" she asked the droid. "It must be a really important map."

BB-8 nodded, his domed head moving up and down.

"Apparently it's a map to Luke Skywalker," Finn explained. "The Resistance really needs to find him."

"Then we'll make sure you make it to the Resistance base," Ashe promised the droid. "I didn't think Luke Skywalker was alive anymore. What he did is legend now." BB-8 chattered at her. "Well, have you met him?" BB-8 replied with a negative. "Then how do you know he's alive?"

BB-8 rolled to the center of the room and projected a blue hologram of the universe, with an orange path zigzagging through it..

"Well, it's part of the universe," Finn commented, peering at it.

"Which part though?" Ashe asked. Finn shrugged. "Do you know?" she asked BB-8. He did not.

"Maybe the Resistance has the other part of the map," Finn said.

The small hairs on the back of Ashe's neck rose as she examined the map. The planets weren't labelled, so it was impossible to know which part of the galaxy this was from. "I hope so," she said, responding to Finn.

The three figures jerked as the ship left hyperspace. BB-8 collapsed the projection as Jodar's voice crackled over the intercom.

"We're here, approaching landing. Crew to the loading dock."

\----

"I should be looking for the droid," Kylo fumed, looking up at the projection. His master, the Supreme Leader Snoke, loomed over him. "I will be able to find him."

"You will leave that to the General and his troops." Snoke's voice boomed across the empty room, reaching high into the ceiling and echoing back. The sound made Kylo's ears ache, but he refused to show any discomfort. "Your place is on the base."

"I cannot do anything from there," he argued. "I can end this chase now."

"Your place is where I say it is," Snoke boomed from above him. "Your training will continue soon."

Kylo looked up at the face of his Leader. "I am ready."

"You are too concerned with the droid and its contents. The ship it is on troubles you as well. Your mind is divided."

"I feel nothing-"

"Supreme Leader, Master Ren, sirs-" An officer stood by the doorway to the room. Kylo turned to glare at the intruder. "We've spotted the ship. It's on Takodana."

"Very well. Leave." The officer left, closing the door behind him. Kylo looked up to the Leader. "You will remain on this ship and go to that planet. It is a known gathering place. You know what to do."

"Thank you, Supreme Leader." Kylo nodded and swept out of the room.

\----

"Ready to land?" Inadra asked, coming up from behind her. "You're freckling, by the way."

"Hm? Oh, the sun from Jakku was intense," Ashe replied, examining her arms. "Do I look ready?" Inadra looked her over and nodded before moving onto the next person. Her inspection was complete and she moved back to the med bay to stay with Poe and Amelea.

The ship landed with minimal issue, a surprise to all onboard. A few passerbys eyed the ship with interest.

"Why are they staring?" Ashe asked Jodar as they exited.

He tilted his head to look at her. "Have you heard of the Millenium Falcon?"

"A legend-"

"It's my legend, and I'll be taking it back."

A man and a tall, furry creature stood at the base of the loading ramp, eyeballing the crew as they exited.


	5. Chapter 5

"Supreme Leader," Hux greeted the overwhelming projection as he entered the room and knelt.

"General Hux, why have you called me?"

Hux looked up to see Supreme Leader Snoke looming over him. The shadows that cascaded across him made his facial scars look like the craters of a moon. Hux looked back to the floor, willing himself only to think of the task at hand. He didn't want Snoke to think to peer into his private thoughts.

"The weapon is ready, Supreme Leader," Hux informed him. "I think it is time we used it. We should show the New Republic our potential. We have the resources to take control of the galaxy."

"What are your proposed targets?" Snoke asked him.

Hux clenched his hands to keep them from shaking. He was approving of his plan of action. "The Hosnian system. There we can strike the main artery of the senate." Hux spat the last word out, recalling the weak minded fools who sat on the seats.

"Strike then," he commanded. "I will alert those of our own in the system to leave."

Hux nodded and got up to leave. "Supreme Leader. We can strike Takodana, and destroy the resistance who shelter there."

Snoke leaned back into his chair, eyeing Hux. His eyes disappeared as the shadows fell over his face, and Hux felt drips of sweat trickle down his back.

"Kylo Ren," Snoke said, dragging out the name, "Will be taking care of the resistance on Takodana. His mission is to secure the Skywalker map and to destroy the resistance presence."

"I-It would be easier to destroy the planet and those on it-"

"I will not change his mission," he said with finality. "It is his mission, and test. If he does not succeed, we will speak of Kylo Ren's future later. Prepare the weapon."

Hux scarcely waited until the projection disappeared from the room before a grin spread across his face.

\----

Kylo knelt in his private quarters. He had given the orders to the stormtrooper squad that would be accompanying him to Takodana. They were preparing his ship and their transport now.

He was meditating to ready himself for the mission ahead. His mind cleared and he could feel the air around him humming. He held in his hands his lightsaber.

The metal felt cool in his hands, and he twisted his hands faintly around the grip. The crystal inside hummed with the same energy as the air and he fed off it, recalling the situation that led him to his acquisition of the crystal.

He shifted as the air rang louder and cleared his mind again. Those memories were too strong and distracting. Instead he focused on the Knights of Ren, his students and colleagues. They had been sent to the outer reaches, but he could recall their training and he fed off those memories. They were filled with rage as they clashed, each trying to outdo the other. The memories of anger ran through him, and he sank into the feeling, tightening his grip on his lightsaber. The crystal inside hummed. The memories of a green lightsaber and a blue lightsaber clashing, not from anger but from friendly practice forced its way into his mind.

Kylo opened his eyes. He had collected artifacts from Sith and Jedi temples that he had found. They sat around his quarters, and he could choose to sink into the force they held. He did that when he needed to refocus himself.

Before him lay a twisted hunk of metal. A mask, disfigured by fire and destruction

"Grandfather," he said, and his hand rested on the helmet. It was cool to the touch, and roughened by the cracks that spiderwebbed across its face. "I am… troubled." He hesitated. "I can feel it," he said. "The light." His eyes shut in frustration. "I put it out, but it comes back. The memories are too strong. I cannot forget."

Kylo breathed in and out slowly, trying to center himself. The helmet helped him to focus. It was imbued with the force. The more a force user handled something, the more of the force and their essence will seep into the object. The helmet was worn by his grandfather for years at the height of his powers. It was strong with rage.

Kylo left his chambers, feeling renewed with energy. His lightsaber hilt swung at his hip as he strode to the loading dock. General Hux was there, speaking with the stormtrooper captain Kylo would be taking on his mission.

"Report, General," Kylo said briskly. He had left his mask off. He felt no urge to intimidate Hux right now.

"Kylo Ren." Hux nodded at him. "Your transport is ready. We have the intel on the resistance sect from our agents."

"And?"

Hux frowned at Kylo's sharp tone. "The resistance do not have a base on the planet. It is a gathering place for sympathizers. The ship with the map has confirmed to be landing at the capital."

"Good, this should be simple," Kylo said shortly.

"Then nothing should go wrong," Hux replied. Kylo sharply examined him, looking for a sign of amusement or derision on his face, but Hux kept a bland look on his face.

"If the troops have been properly informed and trained, then we shouldn't have anymore problems, or defectors," Kylo said, drawing himself up. He was an inch or two taller than Hux, and found it enjoyable to look down on the pale man. "If that's all…" The two men eyed each before Kylo swept up the loading dock and the door slid shut behind him.

\----

"This is our ship," Inadra said.

Finn tightened his hands on his blaster, "Technically we stole it from that other guy-" A rapid shush from Inadra silenced him.

"That's nice," said the man. "She was stolen from me a while ago, and I'd like her back now."

The crew looked to Jodar, who stepped forward. "Our apologies, Han. We didn't know you'd be here. We borrowed her for the trip."

"Well, I hope you didn't touch anything," Han said, stepping up the ramp. "Make sure you've moved all your stuff."

"Ah." Jodar held out a hand, stopping the other man, "We don't want to be without a ship, you see. We'd like to give her to you, but we're still in need of a ship."

Finn stepped in front of Ashe and Inadra as the tall, furry creature get out a low growl and drew out it's crossbow esque blaster.

"Settle down, Chewie," Han said. "Let's make a deal then. You can have my old ship." He gestured to a large freighter a ways down the path.

Finn watched Jodar mull over the offer, while still keeping an eye on the creature named 'Chewie'. "Is that Han Solo? The Han Solo?" he whispered to Ashe.

She looked around him and shrugged. "I haven't heard about him, is he famous?"

"Famous smuggler," Inadra murmured in reply. "Don't you know any history?"

Ashe rolled her eyes and shrugged. "The outer rim doesn't prioritize education."

"It's a kind offer, Han, but we'll have to decline," Jodar finally said to the smuggler. "We technically need to trade her for a new ship, one that's a little faster."

"That is a very dependable ship!" Han said.

"It looks like junk. We prefer our junk," said Inadra, smirking. Chewie growled at her, and she stepped back.

Han groaned in frustration and ran his hand through his greying hair, "Fine. If I can get you a faster ship, will you give me the Falcon?"

Jodar nodded. "Sounds fine to me."

"Good, I'll go inside and get you a better ship-" Chewie get out a low roar, and Han peered around the ramp to the Falcon. "-Woah, what did you do to my ship?"

"Right, the First Order is after us as well."

Han groaned and buried his face in his hands. Finn felt the same way.

Han directed the Inadra and Chewie to do repairs and refueling while himself, Jodar, Finn, and Ashe made their way to the tall stone structure in the distance. Gavin had already disappeared to find other work, citing his will to live.

"Friendly fellow," Han noted, watching the man duck away. "You've got a dedicated crew."

"We're actually not staying, Mr. Solo. We're finding other work," Finn pointed out.

"Very dedicated. Did you just call me Mr. Solo?" Han asked.

Finn flushed faintly and Ashe tried to cover up her laughter.

"Sorry, Mr. Solo. Solo," Finn corrected himself. Han shook his head, and Finn wished he had stayed behind on the Falcon. At least the unconscious Poe was better company.

"Shouldn't you stay with Poe and make sure he's okay?" Finn asked BB-8.

The droid chirped and continued to travel with the group. "He said that Poe's in good hands," Ashe explained. "He wants to make sure we're okay too."

"That's nice of him," Finn commented.

"Well, we did promise we'd get him to the Resistance. I think he likes us."

Finn watched the round droid weave between the members of the group as they crested a hill. Tan stone walls encircled a taller stone structure of the same material was a short walk away. The walls and ropes hanging between points were dripping with multi colored flags and banners.

"It looks like a good place to disappear," Ashe commented. Finn felt her eyes rest on him.

"Where are you going to go?" he asked. "More cargo shipping? Mercenary work would be easy with your talents."

Ashe sighed, and shrugged. "I don't know, maybe I'll visit home. It's been a while."

She fell silent while Han and Jodar led the way down the path, leaving Finn alone with his thoughts. The past day hadn't been kind to him, he decided. There were too many rapid decisions that he had had to make, and rarely a moment to think about what those choices meant.

It was near impulse to escape the First Order, and look where it landed him. Alone, for the most part. Was it so much better than being with the other stormtroopers? At least they understood what he had been going through, somewhat.

And he was alone, wasn't he? Poe, his first friend, was still unconscious. Was Poe his friend? What was a friend? Finn frowned. Did he even deserve Poe's friendship? He had promised to help Poe, and now he was abandoning him to save his own skin. Had Finn done enough to help? Would Poe think that?

BB-8 lightly bumped into his shin, nudging him sideways. "Hey!" Finn said, startled, and jostled Ashe as he stumbled. "Why'd you- Oh, thanks," he said, seeing the mud puddle BB-8 had pushed him away from.

"What a nice friend," Ashe commented with a chuckle before falling silent again.

Finn watched her for a moment. She was deep in thought as well. Was she struggling with her decision to leave as well? It was hard to leave those who had accepted you. He knew first hand, he supposed, if you could call the First Order an accepting sort of group.

At least Ashe seemed more confident about her own decision, he sighed to himself. She at least knew her choices and even had enough experience to make them without all of the wishy washiness Finn was experiencing.

"So what are you going to do?" Ashe asked, breaking Finn out of his thoughts.

"I don't know. Probably cargo. I don't feel like shooting people," Finn said finally.

Ashe nodded. "Do you know what kind of cargo you might like to move?" At his puzzled look, she continued, "Animals, medical, weapons, food. That sort of thing. Each one has its own hazard. Generally animal cargo tries to eat you, for example."

"I didn't think about that," Finn said slowly. Great, more choices, more decisions. Where would he end up?

"If I find a good captain and cargo, I'll let you know. Maybe you can come too," Ashe said, smiling at him.

Finn nodded immediately, a smile breaking across his face. Maybe he wouldn't be completely alone then.

"Han Solo!" A short, orange skinned humanoid shouted at them as they entered the noisy stone castle, and all heads turned to stare.


	6. Chapter 6

Maz's home was often a riotous place, filled to the brim with every kind of humanoid or alien that the galaxy contained. Located on the Mid Rim, it was a convenient place for traders and travellers, as well as smugglers and those wishing to disappear.

Jodar had been here a few times before, and he watched his companions as they entered the darkened castle. The defector, Finn, was nervously looking at the patrons. Jodar knew he was looking for First Order spies. Ashe was looking around curiously at the interior, examining the walls dripping with memorabilia of the galaxy. Jodar would never ask Maz her age, but he had guessed that she had been around for some time, based on some of the things he had seen.

He also knew that Maz believed in the Force.

Jodar Madel wasn't alive during the Old Republic days, but had grown up in the Galactic Empire and lived through the war that led to the New Republic and the short rebirth of the Jedi, which had now been stamped out by the First Order.

Jodar was a Keshiri, a race that had been long connected to the Force, through both the Jedi and Sith. He wasn't a user nor was he sensitive to the Force, but the Keshiri kept track through a thorough oral history of their long standing entanglements with the Force. He could recognize the abilities of a force user.

He looked to Ashe. If he hadn't known better, he would have thought it was pure luck that she had managed to stay alive for so long.

"Maz, hello," Han Solo said awkwardly, and Jodar turned his attention back to the conversation in front of him.

"What is it this time?" Maz asked with a sigh of resignation. She barely reached the height of Han's waist and had to lean back to look disapprovingly at him. She wore patched green overalls and a matching cap, plain clothes for someone so revered in this corner of the galaxy. Her eyes were magnified by oversized goggles, making the subjects of her gaze uncomfortable.

"Nothing, I'm not doing anything," Han said defensively. Maz shook her head and gestured to a back table.

Jodar moved to follow them, but Ashe pulled faintly at his sleeve.

"I think Finn and I should leave from here," Ashe said. Finn hovered by her side, nodding. "We'll find a crew to join and you can take BB-8 to the base."

"Are you sure?" Jodar asked.

She nodded, "It's for the best, Jodar. It'll be safer for everyone involved."

"I don't really like this place," Finn admitted.

"Maz doesn't allow the First Order here," Jodar explained. "It's actually very safe. It's a known neutral zone."

Ashe shook her head, and Jodar felt his stomach twist. He had told himself that he would let Ashe go when she wanted. She had enough of a sense to stay out of trouble, and that had been proven enough in the past. When Jodar had picked up Poe, and later Finn and BB-8, he knew that Ashe would move on, away from the Resistance presence. He knew that, but he didn't want to let her go.

"Let me buy you guys a meal at least," he said, trying to appeal to the young people's stomachs. Finn's stomach growled at the idea, and the man looked hesitant at turning down a free meal. "At least say hi to Maz? She's very nice," he lied. If Maz could at least see Ashe, she might be able to say something to the woman to make her see her potential.

Ashe frowned at him. She had seen through his lie. "Nice?" She shook her head. "Thank you, Jodar, but we should be going."

She clasped him in a tight hug, and Jodar held just as tightly back and his eyes became misty. "Be safe, won't you?" he asked.

Ashe nodded, and they released each other. "I always am."

Jodar nodded, blinking the dampness away as he shook Finn's hand. "Stay safe, both of you, and out of trouble."

"We will, sir," Finn said resolutely. Ashe knelt to say her goodbyes to BB-8 and they made their way through the crowded room.

BB-8 rolled slowly after Jodar as he made his way to Maz and Han. The two had watched his goodbye, he noted, sliding into a chair. BB-8 bumped lightly into his leg, and he patted the droid.

"You're down to two, maybe three crew if the co-pilot can get back on hier feet," Han commented. He waved away on offered drink by the waiter. Jodar accepted one and drank deeply. "I'll get you a small ship, something to slip under the radar then."

Jodar murmured an agreement, trying to focus his mind on the trip ahead.

"Han was telling me of your run in with the Order," Maz said.

"Your crewmate told me, the one who doesn't appreciate the Falcon," Han explained at Jodar's puzzled look. "Sounds like it was a close call. Chewie and I picked up some chatter about it on our radio."

"The perks of a good crew," Jodar replied. He drained his drink, and raised an eyebrow at Han. The smuggler was notorious for having poor crew relations.

"Shame you don't have one anymore," Han replied, leaning back in his chair.

Maz watched the conversation silently, watching the two pilots snipe at each other. Jodar felt her gaze on him and grimaced, looking away.

"Why is your crew leaving?" she asked, her tone neutral. Jodar briefly met her gaze before looking down, silent.

Han smirked, "He didn't tell them about his contracts with the Resistance. A good captain makes sure his crew knows exactly what they're getting into."

"I will not take criticism from a defector!" Jodar snapped, slamming his fist onto the table. Han glared at him, remaining silent and crossing his arms.

"You break it, you buy it," Maz chided, laying a hand on the table. "Why didn't you tell her?"

"I thought I could keep the two seperate," Jodar said finally. "I could continue my work without delay and get some extra help. It got worse as time went on, with the Order overthrowing the few bases we could keep up. If I let any hires know about the collaboration they would never sign on with the propaganda the Order was putting out against us." He traced a whorl in the wood table. "But if I could introduce the idea of the Resistance slowly it would be natural to join."

Without initial realization, Jodar began to tell his plan, "I didn't think anything of it at first, I just thought of natural talents. Then I began to see the potential in her. I thought that she could be the next one. She was too resistant at first, she couldn't see the potential. She had no idea what she could do.

"I'd blame where she came from, but I can't. Had she been born anywhere but a backwater Outer Rim planet, she would have been identified and killed by the Order. Yet, because of that, she has no idea really of what's happened in the galaxy. I doubt she even knows what she can do."

Jodar blinked, having said far more than he meant to. Maz gazed at him over steepled fingers, having gotten him to finally voice his intentions, and Jodar shrunk under her look.

"I would give her more credit than you think," she said finally.

"Why's that?"

"She can feel the Force right now, Jodar," Maz said, her voice low. Her eyes cast out to the crowded room and Jodar followed her gaze until he spotted Ashe and Finn. "She can hear it."

"You can't hear the Force," Han said dismissively. "You feel it, or something." He shrugged, disinterested.

Jodar and Maz watched the duo in the crowd. Ashe turned her head back and forth, obviously confused. Finn tugged on her arm, trying to lead her towards whomever they were speaking to, but Ashe persisted in wandering through the crowd. She rubbed her head in frustration, loosening several small braids from their bonds.

"What's she doing?" Jodar asked, watching the young woman cock her head faintly.

"She's trying to listen to it with her ears," Maz explained. "She hasn't thought to use her head yet." They watched as Ashe balled her fists in frustration. "No training?" Maz asked.

"None. I doubt she knows about the Force. She didn't even know you you were," Jodar said, casually glancing at Han. He snorted and rolled his eyes. "What's she doing now?"

"She's got it," Maz replied. "She can hear it calling to her."

They watched her make her way through the crowd to an ajar door and slip inside, leaving Finn in the crowd.

"Hear what calling to her?" Han asked suddenly. "What do you have back there, Maz?"

Maz remained silent.

"Maz, what's back there?"

\----

Kylo Ren stood at the bridge of his command shuttle, watching the blue-green planet come into view as the craft exited lightspeed. He nodded as an officer updated him on the planet and the inhabitants, as well as the rest of the fleet for the mission.

His presence was unnecessary and distracting to the crew, and he revelled in the feeling. His black tunic, pants, and cloak emanated dominance, making the room feel smaller than it already was. Officers had to veer around him as they completed their tasks for landing, as he stood, unmoving. His mask hid his face, allowing him to watch his crew eye him nervously.

The shuttle began to land onto the packed earth some distance from their destination. A small band of forest would serve as their cover as the stormtroopers landed and assembled their squads.

Kylo was reviewing the movements the troops would be making when a silent rumble of power rolled over him. He swayed, reaching out gloved hands to clutch at the railing in front of him.

The feeling of raw energy persisted and he sank into it, trying to discern the source and purpose. It was an access of the Force, strong and with no barriers. He probed it with his mind, ignoring the shaking officer next to him, and flashes of light flickered across his vision.

Then, as soon as it had arrived, it was gone, as if it had never existed.

"Sir?" the officer asked meekly.

"Send them out," Kylo snapped, releasing the twisted railings. His hands had made deep imprints. The officer hurried away as he drew out his lightsaber and red glowing blades appeared. Snarling, he slashed at the metal panels before him, leaving deep gouges.

He stalked down the loading ramp, his fury encouraging those around him give him a wide berth. His mind was clouded, reeling from the feeling. Yes, the lingering feeling of his former teacher, but the presence of someone strong and untrained in the ways of the Force.

He came to a stop at the edge of the forest. The troops were ready behind him. He tightened his grip on his lightsaber and licked his lips, ridding himself of his suddenly dry mouth. He motioned for the troops to begin marching and walked into the forest.

\----

Ashe fell the cool floor, sweaty hands grasping the raised edges of the rough stones. The thing clattered to the floor by her and she reeled away, the images flashing still before her eyes. Shadows of people, flashes of red, blue, and green, and unfamiliar landscapes blurred her vision. She closed her eyes, trying to rid herself of the sights, trying to breathe.

The door creaked open, hitting her in the side and a familiar body knelt by her.

"Ashe, are you alright?" Finn asked, his eyes sweeping her dishelleveled form. "What happened? Are you okay?"

She shook her head, and clapped her hands over her ears, trying to block out the waves of noises that assaulted her. It did nothing, and she could hear sounds that couldn't happen in a storage room. The sounds of leaves crunching, whispers, secret plans.

"It won't stop," she said tearfully to Finn. "I can't make it stop. It did that to me. I can't stop-" She stopped with a cry as a scream pierced her mind, and she stilled. "Inadra?" she whispered.

Finn appeared to not hear the name and looked around. "What? This thing?" He picked up the metal tube, and dodged Ashe as she tried to bat it out of his hands.

"Don't touch it!" she said quickly, and stumbled to her feet. The door swung open further, revealing Jodar, Maz, and Han. A ripple washed over her again, and she felt herself grow panicked. "They're in trouble."

"Who's in trouble-" Han began, but Maz cut him off.

"Where?" she asked.

Ashe pushed through them, "The crew. They're in trouble. Something's wrong." She stumbled through the crowd, ignoring her friend's calls. She felt better the further she get away from what Finn held until she reached the doorway of Maz's castle.

A plume of smoke from the landing strip greeted her gaze as she flung open the doors.


	7. Chapter 7

Ashe ran, her feet carrying her rapidly over the packed earth. She ran faster than she ever had before, startling those on the path who stared at the rising smoke in the distance. Light flashed across her vision, and there was a flicker of a dark landscape and the sound and smell of rain filled her ears. Stumbling, she gasped, trying to rid herself of the sounds and sights. The sun of present day broke through the haze and she continued her pursuit. She skidded to a stop at the sight of stormtroopers as they stood in the clearing between her and the _Millenium Falcon_.

The squad of ten stormtroopers raised their weapons at the sight of her, ordering her to halt and lower her weapon. She stared at the blaster in her hand, not recalling taking it out of the holster.

Her chest barely rose from her trek and her finger moved to the trigger, slowly enough to not alert the troopers. The leader, obvious from the orange shoulder patch, stepped forward, indicating that she should drop her weapon. She breathed in slowly and brought up her blaster to shoot.

Rapidly she fired at the squad, striking down three troopers before dodging a flurry of shots from those who had thought to ready their blasters. She slammed the butt of her blaster into the stomach of the lead trooper, knocking the breath out of him and denting his abdomen armour, and propped him up as a shield. The other troopers shot their comrade as she ducked under his arm to fire back. Five troopers went down and she moved forward, ducking to avoid an errant shot.

The last she whacked with her blaster and shot through his helmet as he lay on the ground. She stepped over the body to stride towards the Falcon.

The ship lay at the far edge of the circular landing area, with more ships ringing the edge. The forest behind the Falcon rustled as more troops emerged, their white armour glinting in the sun. Ashe flinched and shut her eyes as a sharp pain pierced her head and the smell of fire burned her nose.

Was it real?

There was a yell, and her eyes flew open. Chewie, Inadra, Amelea, and Poe were being marched down the loading ramp with another squad of stormtroopers. The sun glinted off the metal handcuffs the they wore.

"Ashe!" Inadra shouted when her gaze locked with Ashe's and she surged forward, only to be pushed back by a trooper. Poe, looking worse for wear but hopeful, pushed against another trooper, shoving him off the loading ramp. Chewie thrashed against the bonds, and Amelea threw herself at the trooper who aimed their blaster at the Wookiee.

The landing area became chaos as troopers surged out of the forest and the visitors to Maz's funneled down the path to secure their ships and leave. Troops and civilians clashed. The disorganized wave of civilians, traders, and smugglers were quickly met with armed and ready squads of stormtroopers. TIE fighters began to fly over head.

A few ships began to rise and flee the area as Ashe fought to get the Falcon and the crew fought to meet her. A hand latched onto Ashe's arm, and she spun to face her attacker. It was Finn, panting.

"What's your plan?" he wheezed, sweat dripping down his face.

Ashe pointed to the Falcon, loosened braids striking her face as she turned. "Where's Jodar?"

Finn gestured, "Behind me. He's with Han. There's too many squads for a random attack, we need to go now!" Ashe followed his eyeline to see Han, Jodar, and Maz surrounding the orange and white droid. Jodar, seeing her, gestured to the Falcon. Ashe nodded seeing they were in good hands. Han was holding a blaster and picking off stormtroopers as they came close. Ashe blinked. Han's hair was dark brown, with no traces of silver running through it. His face wasn't wrinkled with age. He looked young. Ashe blinked again, and he was back to the Han she had met only an hour before.

Finn tugged on her hand and they retreated to the edge of clearing, ducking behind the ruins of ships and rubble from the outposts of Maz's castle. The castle itself was half destroyed from the First Order ships that were swooping in and out of range. Finn's hand was sweaty in hers as he pulled her from one cover to the next. Ashe didn't mind the human contact, it kept her grounded. She glanced at Han as Finn led to her a pile of rubble. His face was lined with age and his mouth was set in a determined grimace as he, Jodar, and Maz made their own way across the clearing.

Finn surged forward, releasing her hand as he charged across the remainder of the clearing. A stormtrooper had thrown a handcuffed Poe to the ground and aimed his blaster at the pilot's head. Finn furiously shot from his blaster, striking the edge of the trooper's armour. "Poe!" he yelled, his voice cracking.

The trooper flinched, and wheeled around to face the incoming attacker. "Traitor," he growled, his voice sounded muffled and coarse from inside his helmet. "You don't deserve to live!" He swung up his blaster and readied to fire. Ashe tightened her grip on her blaster and leapt up to defend Finn while an orange and white blur sped across the clearing.

BB-8 smashed into the incoming stormtrooper's legs, knocking him down. Finn leapt over rubble and killed the trooper with a shot. He and BB-8 moved to Poe who struggled to embrace them both. BB-8 let out a joyful trill, and Ashe fell down, her blaster falling from her grip.

Her hands scrambled for a purchase on the rubble, now slick with water. Rain poured down on her, soaking her. She sat back, looking at her hands, trying to find what was real, and screamed when they were red with blood. She looked up and saw not her friends, but bodies in the rain. Their faces were of young people, with deep cuts crossing their bodies. The smell of singed clothing and flesh burned her nose. She looked back to her hands and recoiled in horror as one was now a metal skeleton. It twitched, clicking faintly in the rain. The bile rose in her throat.

_nononononONONONONONONO_

"BB-8!" Poe's voice broke through her mind, and the day turned sunny again. She was dry and her hands, though grimy and scraped, were her own flesh. She looked up when Finn yelled and watched as BB-8, previously by Poe's side, was rolling - no, was being _dragged_ away from the pilot's side.

A man, draped in billowing black fabric, stood. One hand grasped a red bladed, crackling weapon with small red cross guards jutting out from the handle. His other hand reached out towards BB-8 and the droid spun towards him, slipping out of Poe's reach. The pilot was white faced, his eyes wide and panicked, and Ashe felt her heart jump.

She leapt up and reached out. It was impossible to reach BB-8 from across the field but she stretched her arms out as if she could touch him, and the droid stopped mid air, hovering a few inches above the earth. She held her breath, watching the droid's body spin, trying to find traction, but he remained in the air.

Sweat popped out on Ashe's forehead as a tugging sensation pulled at her mind. She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to ignore the growing ache in her head and wiggled her fingers, almost willing the droid to come closer. BB-8 wavered in the air, almost falling, then floated a few inches towards her.

A roar of rage reached her ears and broke her concentration. BB-8, with no more forces pulling against him, dropped to the ground with a thunk and rolled to Poe who scrabbled at the fallen body of a trooper for a blaster. The robed man turned to look at her.

"The rebel." His voice was low and harsh, a robotic rumble, as he seemed to regard her. She squinted, trying to distinguish who he was. The harsh buzz of his weapon reached Ashe's ears and her world nearly turned sideways. The same intense pressure clouded her mind and she locked her knees to keep from falling. The landscape flashed between the bright, hot day, and the dark, rainy scene she had seen before. In both, the man strode towards her, his steps confident, his weapon unsheathed.

Before her strength would fail her entirely, she swung up her blaster, firing a single sure shot at the the incoming enemy. The noise of the blaster settled her mind, and she felt the familiarity of the weapon in her hands. Her vision cleared in time to see the shot bounce off the man's weapon as he casually twirled it to defend himself.

She swallowed nervously. That had never happened before.

Rapidly she fired at him, hardly letting her weapon cool down between shots. Her hands were slick with sweat as each shot was deflected, and the weapon began to vibrate in her hands. A shout distracted her, and she briefly glanced to see her friends at the base of the Falcon's loading ramp as they were surrounded by troopers.

The peril of her friend distracted her and her blaster flew out of her hands as it was pulled away by an invisible force. It smash to pieces as it struck the ground and she found herself facing the black mask of the enemy as he stood only a few feet before her.

She would move to attack, to flee, to do something, but her body refused to obey her command. Heaviness weighed at her limbs. She was frozen in place and she could only look frantically at the armed man before her.

He had reached her, and seemed to examine her frozen form, cocking his head one way, then another. "So it's you?" he murmured. He came closer and raised his weapon dangerously close to her face, and the heat licked at her skin. "What have you done?" he asked softly.

Ashe could do nothing but narrow her eyes at him, glaring. Fear was being pushed aside for anger as she heard her friends frantically fighting back against the troops.

This seemed to intrigue him as she quivered, trying to break free. "Where-" he began to ask, before the whine of ships streaking across the sky interrupted him. He looked up and the hold over Ashe's body began to ease. She sharply look up to see X-wings swooping over the landscape, several focusing on the white plated troopers around the _Millenium Falcon_.

An errant shot struck the ground near her, and she stumbled, bringing the man's attention back to her. Briefly she raised her hands in defense before her mind clouded and she began to fall. Her last memory was arms catching her before the world went dark.


	8. Chapter 8

The word had been spread to their people. The weapon was charging with the dying light of the sun. His notes lay in front of him, discarded. They were unnecessary. He had prepared for this moment his entire career.

Hux stepped up to the podium and examined the masses before him. Each stormtrooper stood in formation, feet shoulder width apart, arms by their sides. Weapons holstered. There would be no need for soldiers to fight today. Officers, dignitaries and government officials ringed the edges.

Today would be a show of force. A real show of force. Nothing would be hidden in the shadows, muddled by mysticisms or hand waving. No. The weapon was a thing of dominance, pure power incarnated.

"Today," he began. "We show the New Republic what they have allowed themselves to become. Today, we will show the New Republic their limits. Too long they have allowed disorder and chaos to flourish under their rule. Today we will show the people of the New Republic what is possible with control and order!" He spat out the last words, shaking with the energy that coursed through him.

"The First Order is now the governing body in the galaxy," he stated, slamming a fist on the podium. His cards fluttered to the ground, forgotten. "We are the order that this galaxy will follow. There will be no more war. There will be no more Resistance. The New Republic ends now!"

Hux gestured for the amassed soldiers to turn, to view the horizon behind them. The sun was fading in the sky, casting darkness across the landscape. Snow was beginning to fall.

For a moment, nothing appeared to happen. Hux tightened his hands on the podium, straining to see in the dim light. Then, the earth rumbled.

A red beam shot out from beyond the horizon, streaking out into the black sky. It split into multiple bands, each targeting a different planet in the Hosnian system.

A cheer roared from the crowd, and Hux grinned.

\--

Finn thrashed against the hold Chewbacca had on him, "No, she's my friend! I have to get her! Let me go!" He furiously tried to kick at the Wookiee's legs but Chewbacca leaned on him, exhausting the fight from the former soldier.

"They took her." Inadra sagged against the _Millenium Falcon's_ ramp, numb. "They just took her." She looked up at Poe with confusion.

Poe shook his head and grimaced as the handcuffs fell off his wrists. The picks Maz used were finicky when used against the First Order cuffs. "I don't know why they took her, but we'll get her back. I promise." He looked pointedly at Finn.

"You don't even know where they're going," Han cut in. "They could be anywhere in the galaxy by this point."

"Then we'll find out where they're going," Poe snapped. "We're not leaving a man behind. Finn did the same for me. Everyone here helped to find BB-8." BB-8 chirped at him, and he knelt to face the droid. "You still have the map?" The droid nodded. "Good. At least we've got something."

"Oh no." Finn paled, and Chewbacca released him in concern. "I know why they've got her." The man shot a frantic look at Poe. "She saw the map." Poe frowned, looking at BB-8, who looked away guilty. The droid was a terrible secret keeper. Something he should have remembered.

"Well, was it labelled? She won't be able to say anything about it if it wasn't," Inadra said, perking up. "Why do you look so upset? She'll be able to escape I'm sure."

"Nothing escapes that monster." Finn said sourly.

"And he'll make her show him to the map," Poe mulled, his mood dampened. He twitched, recalling his time on the Finalizer. His head still fiercely ached from the encounter.

Inadra looked between the two men, frowning. "How?" Finn stared at the packed earth below him and Poe declined to speak. It seemed she wasn't fully aware of the extent of the First Order's abilities.

"Jedi mind trick," Han said finally.

"He's no Jedi," Poe snapped, his eyes blazing. Han met his gaze, then shook his head, running his fingers through his greying hair. "We'll regroup at base, and then we'll figure where the First Order have decided to hide." Poe stared at the smuggler, daring him to speak more.

"I don't think the Order will be hiding anymore," Maz said, tilting her head to look at the sky.

The group looked up to see red lights streaking across the sky. The others in the clearing cried out as the beams struck planets invisible to the naked eye, creating a red explosion of destruction.

Poe frowned at the lights, unable to place their origin. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before. "What is it?" he asked Han.

The old man shrugged, watching the sky. Chewbacca laid a hand on his shoulder, letting out a soft grunt. Han dropped his head, and Poe politely turned his head to give him privacy. His owns hands tightened on the scraps of this handcuffs. Hurriedly, he tried to push away the guilt that began to gnaw at him. If only he hadn't been caught. If only he had been strong enough to resist the attacks. Perhaps none of this would have happened-

"A weapon," Maz said, breaking the silence. "Strong enough to destroy several planets at once. The Hosnian system, if I know my galaxy. But I suppose I don't anymore." She laid a hand on Han's clenched fists. "She's fine," she said to him, with a knowing smile. Han gave her a slight smile, but frowned at the sky.

"Not a Death Star then," Poe murmured. He refused to look at the sky anymore.

"It's bigger now," Finn said. "It's called Starkiller."

"You've got to be kidding me," Han sighed. "How do you know about something like that?"

"I used to work there," Finn said.

Poe jerked his head to look at his new friend. He grabbed Finn by the shoulders, "You used to work there? Do you know where it is?"

Poe looked at Finn as he nodded, understanding what he was thinking. "I do, and I know how to get in. Do you think…?"

"Yeah, I do!" Poe began to hurry the group up the loading ramp. "Let's go. We're regrouping and then we're making a rescue."

\--

A wave of red flashed across the ship's windows.

His hands shook and he held his head to stop the shaking and to ease the growing pain in his mind. Wave after wave of sorrow, fear, and despair crashed into him, and he stumbled into a small room in the shuttle, away from the prying eyes of the officers. There he leaned against the wall, drumming his fists against the metal panels and leaving deep indents. The cries seemed to echo in the confines of his helmet. He ripped it off and threw it to the floor, letting it clatter to a corner.

It was too much to control, and his mind spun out of control. His eyes filled with tears and his heart beat uncomfortably in his chest as anguish pressed into him. He saw the deaths of everyone and everything. Pictures of pure destruction and chaos cascaded through his mind and he was in the middle of it, alone.

The fear and pain faded away, leaving him shaking. As he turned from the twisted wall, it was rage that filled him next. How dare he feel misery in the face of order, he thought sullenly, and he scrubbed the tears from his face. Now that the New Republic was no more-

He choked suddenly, feeling fresh tears rise up. He rubbed at his eyes and shook his head, trying to focus.

Now the First Order was the leading body of the galaxy. He focused on that thought, something that had driven him for the past years. He recounted every instance of rebellion the Resistance had committed. He felt the stirrings of anger awaken in him, and he fueled the fire, thinking further on the injustices they had committed. Theft, spying, inciting protests and riots, undermining order and giving into chaos.

He lashed out with his fists and the meeting table and chairs rose up and crashed into the walls, shattering on impact. He picked up his helmet from the floor and put it on. He brought his hood up, and drew himself to full height. Anger fired through his veins and he swept out of the room, leaving the destruction behind, and ordered the officers to make way to Starkiller base.

\--

Hux sat in his quarters, exhilarated from the day the New Republic died. A stack on reports waited on his console screen and he flicked through them. Most were messages regarding the success of the day's event. He carefully read the spy reports from around the galaxy. It seems what remained of their enemies were scrambling.

He checked the communications log and found no message from Kylo Ren's ship. Of course the knight wouldn't bother to message the base to update them on his mission. Hux tapped a few keys and looked for an encrypted message from one of his spies on Kylo's transport. The officer should have sent an message about the knight's activities, even if the knight didn't want Hux to know what he was up to.

Hux grinned when he saw an unread message and opened it. He scanned the contents quickly and frowned.

**MISSION PARTIALLY COMPLETE**

**NO DROID**

**RESISTANCE HOSTAGE TAKEN**

\--

_Ashe wasn't awake. Nor was she asleep. She was somewhere in between it seemed. She could see nothing but blackness, pressing against her eyes. Sounds whispered at her ears and she shifted, trying to decipher the source. Voices, male and young, rang out, making her flinch._

"No droid?"

"It wasn't necessary."

_She pulled away from the voices, twisting. The blackness shifted and white poured into her vision. She shut her eyes but the white couldn't be evaded. She felt a cool breeze wash across her face and she opened her eyes._

_She was seven again, bundled in her winter robes, wearing the mittens she had been taught to stitch. Her hat had lumps of yarn where she had knitted too tightly and a breeze whispered through the holes where she had dropped stitches._

_It was a fun day with her sister out in the snow. Her little sister, Saras, was toddling around, showing her doll the different things they had made. A little snow hut was next to the multitude of snowmen they had made, and awkwardly made snow angels were scattered around the land._

_The sisters grew tired of snowmen and snow angels and wandered over to the side of the house. The snow had come down for over a week now, and it had blown to cover the first floor of the house. Ashe giggled and pointed to Saras the crooked birdhouse on the second storey. Papa had to crawl through a window to get out of the house so he could dig a path to the door after the storm. He had knocked the empty birdhouse askew._

_Ashe balled snow and tossed it at the birdhouse, trying to right it. Saras cheered and clumsily made her own snowballs. The two sisters tossed them rapidly, sometimes striking the birdhouse, other times the snowball would thud into the stone of their home._

_Saras, in her four year old excitement, screeched and excitedly tossed her doll. The doll flew through the air, lighter than the snowballs they had made, and landed on the roof. Immediately Saras' face dropped and she began to wheeze and huff as they made their way up the snow hill._

_But the snow stopped below the windows on the second storey and Saras couldn't reach her doll on the roof. Her huffs grew louder and she began to rock as tears leaked out from her eyes._

_"Just jump up," Ashe encouraged. She made a face when Saras shook her head. She hated it when Saras got into a tantrum. It meant a ruined day. "Just jump!"_

_"I caaaaan't," Saras wailed, and she sat down with a thump._

_Ashe frowned at her, feeling wordly at being three years older. "Don't cry, Saras. I'll get her."_

_She jumped up to the roof and pushed the doll off into Saras arms. Her little sister stopped sniffling and screeched happily at the sight of her doll. Ashe stayed on the roof, enjoying the view. The village looked nice from her perch._

_She tilted her head. Ashe watched as small figures exited the forest on the edge of the village and pushed into people from the village. Faintly, she heard screams and saw a plume of smoke, too large to be from a chimney, rise from the village._

_"Raiders!" Ashe shrieked, tottering on the edge of the roof. "Papa, raiders! Papa! Papa!" Saras began to cry as the front door banged open and their Papa ran out, holding a blaster. Ashe cried out as a raider seemed to run for her Papa, and she fell off the roof and the world went black._

"The orders were clear."

"That's enough."

_Ashe flinched away from the invisible voices and opened her eyes again. She sat at the knee of her Papa, touching the odd chair he sat in. He patted her on the head._

_"Papa," she began, and shifted, her arm uncomfortable in the cast. "Why don't you get up?"_

_He smiled at her, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "I can't, my darling. This is my chair now."_

_"Why don't you get better?" she asked. "Like my arm?"_

_"Sometimes it takes time to get better," he said. "See if your mom needs help, okay?"_

_Ashe left her Papa looking into the crackling fire in the fireplace and followed her Mama around the kitchen. "Mama?"_

_"Yes, Ashe?" Her Mama was putting Saras into her highchair for dinnertime._

_Ashe watched her Mama work for a moment, then spoke, "Why doesn't Papa get better, like me?" She lifted her plastered arm to show her Mama. The cast was in tatters from Ashe picking at it._

_"Ashe, don't do that," her Mama scolded. "Leave it be, your arm needs to heal."_

_"But it's better," she whined. "I can use it now." She twisted her arm, cracking more plaster. "Can I learn to shoot?" Chunks of plaster rained onto the floor._

_Her Mama looked horrified. "Ashe, no! It's only been three weeks." She knelt to look at the remaining plaster. Ashe had cradled it each night, crying for it to become better so she could help her Papa get better. "I don't even know how you got onto the roof anyways," her Mama murmured, examining Ashe's arm._

_"I jumped," Ashe said for the millionth time._

_"You can't jump onto the roof," her Mama sighed. She pulled a knife from her apron pocket and began to pick away at the cast. "We'll need to recast your arm now. This won't do anything now."_

_Ashe sighed in frustration as the plaster came away in chunks and her Mama examined her arm. "But I can jump on the roof, Mama. I'll show you!"_

_"You'll do no such thing," she said firmly. She bent Ashe's arm, watching her face. "Does it hurt?"_

_"No," was Ashe's sullen reply._

_"Then… I think your arm's all better. Odd," her Mama said, and prodded at the unbroken skin. "The cast should have been on you for at least six weeks... Maybe the break wasn't as bad as the doctor thought. Oh well." Her Mama stood and dusted her hands off._

_"If I can get better faster, Papa can get better faster, " Ashe said, following her Mama around the kitchen. She was handed a stack of plates._

_"It doesn't work like that. Everyone is different," her Mama said patiently. "Set the table please."_

_Ashe huffed and turned to set the table. Darkness met her and she floated in the odd inbetween place._

"Shall I inform the Supreme Leader then?"

"No. I will handle this. Leave."

_Darkness lifted and she stood in the village center, swapping out energy packs in blasters before handing them back to the fighters. Raiders had come back, and the village was holding them off, for now._

_Ashe heard Saras shriek and ran for her sister. She hiked up her skirts and ran after the nine year old as she ran from a pack of raiders. They must've seen the gilded beads on her braids that showed she was the child of a councilman. Ashe felt her own beads clink faintly as she ran as fast as her legs allowed, catching up rapidly._

_Saras disappeared into an old barn and Ashe jumped on the back of one raider, beating at her with her with a blaster. The raider yelped, and stumbled, sending Ashe tumbling head over heels. She scrambled up and over to shield her sister, now facing a loose half ring of raiders._

_The haggard men and women advanced on the two sisters, their blasters crude but deadly._

_"Stay away!" Ashe stomped her foot, trying to look intimidating. She held a blaster but the energy pack was dead. She aimed at one raider, who hesitated. They didn't know that._

_Overhead the old barn roof creaked faintly as the leader of the pack barked at his companions to advance. Saras clung to Ashe's back as the two stepped back, keeping a distance between them and the enemy._

_"I said stay away!" Ashe yelled, feeling her heart beat painfully, and the roof groaned._

_"Ashe!" Saras yelled and Ashe threw herself on Saras as the roof collapsed on them and the raiders. A chunk of wood cracked against Ashe's skull and the world went dark._

"How did we miss you..."

_Light bloomed across Ashe's vision and she found herself in the village's landing area._

_"You've always been so much more capable than you've realized," Thane Capens smiled at his daughter, his grey eyes sad. "I know you'll be safe." Ashe knelt to hug her dad, mindful of his wheelchair. She stood, blinking away tears._

_La'rae Capens hugged her daughter tightly. "Be careful," she whispered. Ashe nodded, and turned to Saras, who hung back._

_"No goodbye?" Ashe asked her sister._

_Saras fiddled with a braid in her light brown hair. "You said you'd always be there," the fifteen year old pouted._

_"I'll come back," Ashe promised. "I just want to explore a little."_

_Saras relented and hugged her tightly. "The villagers will be terribly disappointed," she whispered in her ear. Ashe rolled her eyes and pulled away. "Don't have too many adventures," she added._

_"Same for you," Ashe teased, tugging at a braid Saras had tried to hide in her hair. It had a green ribbon in it this week. Last week it had been yellow. "Don't break too many hearts." Saras shrieked and hide the braid while La'rae watched with a raised eyebrow._

_Ashe picked up her pack and walked up the loading ramp of a transport. The brightness of the day fell away to the blackened interior and she found she couldn't see. The blackness had returned._

_Ashe peered into the darkness, trying to part it. There, far off in the distance was light and she struggled for it. She and it met and it blinded her. She shut her eyes._

_This time when she opened them it was not the past. She jolted into the_ present.

"Good, you've woken up. I was growing concerned."


	9. Chapter 9

Kylo Ren strode down the hall, deep in thought. Stormtroopers stepped out of his way, and officers sank into the shadows as he moved from level to level, going deeper into the depths of Starkiller base. Aptly named, the base was now cast in darkness, the star extinguished in this section.

He paid no mind to the darkness or the solitude of his way. He was deep in thought, thinking over the events that had transpired thus far. He had watched his prisoner sleep throughout the voyage here, expecting her to awaken soon. When she had not when they arrived at Starkiller he ordered her to be strapped into the interrogation chair.

Somehow, General Hux had found out that he had not taken the droid and harassed him all the way to the interrogation room. The prisoner had still not woken up, something Hux had pointed out, implying that Kylo had done something wrong and that she would never wake up. Then he wanted to bring in the torturers.

Kylo rolled his eyes, exasperated at recalling Hux's insistence. What the General didn't know was the exact reason Kylo had brought the woman aboard. She had the Force. He wanted to find out how she had slipped under their radar for so long.

The door slid open and he stepped into the interrogation room. The prisoner was still unconscious. Unusual.

He sat in a chair by the corner and watched her. Based on her appearance, she was not unlike any of the civilians from across the galaxy. She was human, obviously, maybe in her mid twenties. Her clothes were nondescript, a plain dark blue wraparound tunic and tan pants. Her boots had some wear, but nothing that would indicate if she had worked in far off mines or in an isolated jungle planet. She had no visible scarring that would indicate a tribe or tradition.

The only thing of interest was her hair. It was currently darkened with sweat but braided with trinkets and bits of cloth woven into it and the many smaller braids that were tucked into the main braid. It was likely that her hair could tell him where she had come from. He had picked his brain to no avail, and the records on Starkiller base were unhelpful.

He sat back, thinking. He could assume an Outer Rim planet, which would explain why they hadn't found her until now. An isolated place would also explain why she was untrained. His hand tapped on his thigh as he thought.

She stirred slightly, and he leaned forward. Perhaps now he would get some answers.

She awoke suddenly, her body jerking under the arm and leg restraints of the interrogation chair. She pulled at the restraints, trying to break loose while her eyes darted around the room. She came to a stop as her eyes rested on him.

"Good, you've woken up," Kylo said, watching from his chair. "I was growing concerned." He watched her, waiting to see what she would do next. She had shown she had some strength on Takodana, having managed to stop his Force telekinesis of the droid. However children could learn and master that ability. He had when he was young.

"Where am I?" she asked, looking around at the room. She spoke Galactic, like most in the Galaxy. "Where is everyone?"

"You're on a First Order base," he replied. He kept his posture casual, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. He kept his helmet on. He didn't want to appear too friendly. If she was a little scared, she might be willing to talk to him. "Your friends escaped." He watched her for a response. He could feel a mixture of fear and anger emanating from her.

"Why me?" She had a faint accent, but nothing that stood out to him.

He was growing tired of her asking the questions, but stemmed his impatience. "We've been following you and your friends from Jakku. The droid you saved contains something very important. A map piece. Where are they?"

"You've been chasing us because a droid took something from you?" she asked and frowned at him "I don't know anything about the Resistance. I'm not a part of them."

"Then you won't mind telling me everything you know."

"Just because I'm not part of the Resistance doesn't mean I'll help the First Order," she said harshly. "I'm not a loyal subject to a faceless military."

Kylo tilted his head, watching her as she glared at him. It was true that most didn't like having the First Order looming over them, enforcing the law of the land. Not that it mattered to the First Order. He nodded, almost imperceptibly, then turned away. Drawing back his hood, he slid off his helmet and placed it on a stand in the room.

"You're not with the Resistance, and they allowed you to be taken," he said, turning back to face her. His brown eyes watched her as she examined him. He continued, keeping his voice light, "They've assumed you've been tortured and told us everything. Make this easy for yourself. Tell me what you know about the map." Her eyes widened. "Yes, I know you saw the Skywalker map."

"I don't-"

"Don't lie. The droid showed it to you." He stepped closer, and lowered his voice. "I can make you show it to me. Your defenses won't be very strong. It will hurt though," he warned her. She pulled away as far as the restraints would let her, but tightened her mouth into a thin line. "Fine," he said. "We'll do it this way."

Her blue eyes flicked over him as his hand reached out, not close enough to touch, but enough to feel the fear and uncertainty rolling off of her. He kept his own eyes focused on her face, peering past her features and using the Force to delve into the defenses of her mind.

Her eyes widened and she gasped as he pushed against the wall that enclosed her mind. A crack appeared, small, but growing as he relentlessly pushed against it, feeling it crumble under his will. Images, emotions pressed against his mind and he watched them, analyzing them.

"You didn't know," he murmured, watching her past exhibit classic signs of Force use. "No one knew what you could do."

"Stop," she whispered, her voice ragged. A tear rolled down her cheek as she tried to push back.

He frowned, "You felt so alone, so different… It doesn't have to be like that."

"Get out!" she roared, and he felt his push falter as her mental walls shivered and rebuilt, pushing him out. He tried to push back and his hand shook as she shoved him with all of her might. In horror, he catapulted back into his own mind, his own defenses shattering, and he felt his prisoner scrabble into his mind.

He locked his knees, trying to concentrate as she pushed into him. His mind was unfocused, clouded as he tried to contend with the images from his past distracted him.

"You were afraid," she said suddenly, her eyes wide. "Your father, Han? He was too-"

"No!" he yelled and tried to clamp down on her presence in his mind. She slipped out of his grasp and his mind protested her presence. No one had entered his mind in over ten years.

"Afraid," she continued, "Afraid you wouldn't reach your potential. Afraid you wouldn't live up to the legacy, afraid you weren't strong enough like Darth Vader-"

"Enough!" he roared, and he threw her out of his mind. Her head slammed into the back of the interrogation chair and he stumbled back, throwing out one hand to steady himself. They stared at each other, breathing heavily, and he watched blood trickle from her nose.

Shaking, he left the room, feeling her eyes on his back as he left.

\--

Han stepped off the ramp of the Falcon and let the others flow past his stilled form. He tried to scan the area, but the mass of people moving around meant he couldn't find who he was looking for.

Poe nudged him as he came down the ramp. "I think it's time," he said. "She'll be in the war room."

"So it's war then," Han sighed, and he suddenly felt very old. He followed the young pilot, with Finn and Chewie taking up the rear. He ignored the Wookiee's advice as Poe led them through the sprawling base. Finn sprinted up to be beside Poe and the two spoke softly. Han ignored them, lost in his own thoughts.

He wasn't known for feeling guilt. If anything, most people saw him as a reckless, uncaring smuggler, only devoted to himself and Chewie. That was who he wanted to be, but it wasn't possible anymore. The last ten years had managed to teach himself that.

Running away or ignoring his problems only made them worse, but there wasn't much he could do, he reasoned. Still, guilt weighed on him. His son, his only child, now waged war against the galaxy, still being led astray by that ruthless politician, Snoke. Everyday he regretted letting his son slip away, simply because he wasn't a good enough father to him.

Poe said something to Finn, momentarily snapping Han out of his melancholy, only for him to slip further back into his regretful thoughts. Poe was young, a few years younger than Ben, but was everything Han hoped his son would be. Upstanding, confident, a good pilot, and not a Force user.

There was his long hidden fear. His son had shown himself to be Force sensitive when he was young and from there his abilities only grew. It was mysterious and unlike anything Han had ever seen. He didn't like it, being so different from his son. It was like there was a gap that only grew between them. His half hearted attempts to reach out to Ben only pushed him further away until Han gave up.

His friend, Jedi master, and brother in law, Luke Skywalker was a Force user, but it was different with him. They had bonded long ago as they fought against the Galactic Empire. Luke was already an adult when he discovered his abilities. Han had to watch Ben struggle through adolescence and adulthood as the known grandchild of the Jedi killer, and civilization destroyer Darth Vader, watching as society judged him.

A flash of silver caught his eye, and he looked up. "Hey, what's that?" he said, and he pulled Finn by the shoulder.

The former stormtrooper held the lightsaber close to his chest and stepped away from him. "It's mine," he said defensively.

"No it's not," Han said, and made a grab for it.

Finn stepped back and held the weapon further away. "Maz gave it to me. She said it would be safer with me. She says Ashe needs it," he explained.

"Let's fight over that later," Poe said, when Han stepped closer to Finn. "We're here. Excuse me," he said, pushing through a thicket of people. Han hesitated, but Chewie gave him a push forward. Some friend he was.

"Well, it's about time you got here."


	10. Chapter 10

Poe grinned and went to hug General Leia Organa, Leader of the Resistance. She was dressed simply in plain pants and jacket, looking ready for waging war. Her brown hair, streaked with grey, was bound in a heavy braid that circled at the nape of her neck. She welcomed him warmly, and he began to feel like he was in the right place for the first time in a while.

"Poe," she said finally, pulling back. "I'm glad to have you back. What happened on Jakku?" she asked with concern.

"They must've figured out where I was going. The Order knows about the map," he replied.

She shook her head faintly. "We were supposed to have those files erased but our team didn't make it. We have bigger problems now," she frowned. He nodded and stepped aside to let her see her husband.

Finn stepped up to come up beside Poe as Leia and Han approached each other. Poe hid a smile as Chewbacca pushed in for a hug and Leia greeted the Wookiee warmly.

"Who is she?" Finn asked. He still clutched the lightsaber tightly.

"She's our leader," Poe replied. He looked away as Leia and Han lingered out of reach of each other. He had been young when his own mother had died, and his father had often been busy. It pained him to see his leader suffering with her own family. "She'll help us get Ashe back. We'll have to talk about Starkiller base."

Finn nodded, his mouth tightening into a thin line. Poe clapped his friend on the back reassuringly as Leia and Han finally embraced. "Maz gave you that?"

"Yeah," Finn said, looking at the lightsaber hilt. "I don't really know what it is, but it scared Ashe."

Poe pulled his friend's head away from the hollowed hilt. "Don't do that. It's where the blade comes out," he explained and Finn nodded.

"I've never seen one this closely," Finn admitted, still peering at the weapon. Poe nodded in agreement. As a pilot he didn't get much chance to be in skirmishes on the ground. He never saw Luke in his prime either. Finn pressed the button on the side and a crackling blue blade appeared. "Cool!" The blade buzzed harshly, catching the attention of everyone nearby.

"Is that-" Leia began, leaving the arms of Han. Finn quickly collapsed the blade and hid the hilt behind his back, looking guilty. "Where did you get that? Did Lor San have it?" she asked Poe.

"No, Maz Kanata had it stashed away," Poe explained quickly. "She gave it to Finn for safekeeping."

"First the map piece, now the lightsaber," Leia said slowly. "Finn, is it? Nice to meet you." She extended a hand and Finn slowly shook it. Poe watched him squirm nervously under Leia's gaze. She had that effect on people. However he got the feeling that Finn's previous life didn't give him much trust in authority figures. "Is he...?" she asked, looking to Poe.

"You got my message? Good. This is Finn. He knows everything about Starkiller base," Poe said, giving Finn an encouraging smile. "He can help us get inside."

"My friend was captured," Finn began to say and Leia nodded rapidly.

"We'll do everything we can but I want to talk to you first. Tell me everything," Leia said, grasping Finn by the arm and leading him to a meeting room. Poe and Han jogged to catch up while Chewie left to go back to the _Falcon_. The Wookiee wasn't one for strategizing.

Poe grinned as he greeted various personnel on the way, finally feeling more comfortable. The effects of the interrogation had finally worn off, and Han had, reluctantly, let him handle the _Falcon_. He was starting to feel like himself again.

"Where'd that other crew go?" he asked, finally noticing the absence of Jodar, Amelea, and Inadra.

Han shrugged. "The girl with the hurt legs went to a medic. The tall purple skinned fellow said something about checking in with his own superior officer. The other girl followed him. We'll probably see them again," Han sighed. "They seem really loyal."

"-Since the attack, everyone has been coming here, which likely means that the First Order knows our base is here," Leia was saying as they entered the room. "We're going to have to destroy Starkiller base if we want a chance of survival. That's where you come in," she said, pointing to Finn. A few generals and officers trickled into the room before the doors shut. Poe came to stand by Finn, seeing the man sweat when the doors shut. He nodded encouragingly at him and Finn gave him a tight lipped smile.

"Starkiller is in the outer rim. It feeds off the energy of a star," Finn explained. "Since it has attacked, they'll need to find another star to deplete." A general nodded and activated a hologram of the solar system. Finn began to point out the current location of Starkiller base. "If you think they'll be attacking here, then Starkiller will be moving to this cluster."

"It'll reach us," an officer said slowly.

"It's a superweapon, it can reach across the entire galaxy," Han snapped. "It's like the death star, just bigger. It's got to have a weak point. Where's the weak point?" he asked Finn.

"I don't know what a 'death star' is," Finn admitted, "But I do know that the Starkiller's shields aren't fully operational. They reset and leave an opening, but it's small. Really small."

"This isn't like the death star, Han," Leia sighed, flapping a hand at Han. He frowned.

"We get in, drop a few bombs, get out. Sounds like a plan," Poe said, nodding. "I can get a few squads up and running in no time."

"What about Ashe?" Finn asked. "And the base is huge, I don't know if you have enough manpower to attack-"

"Based on our current numbers, and the ability of the First Order, we have an estimated zero point five percent chance of success," a robotic voice said. Poe turned and shushed C-3PO. The gold coloured humanoid droid looked offended. "But, my calculations are correct!"

"Quiet 3PO," Han sighed, looking grateful to be on the other end of the table.

"Oh Han, hello! It has been too long!" The droid walked over to Han, much to the man's dismay, "Do you like my arm? It must be why you didn't recognise me. It's red!"

"Anyways," Leia continued. "3PO's right, but we can't wait. The First Order must know we're here. We'll have to strike now while we can and before they fix their shields."

"Can't we leave this base and go somewhere else for the time being?" a general asked. He was a short alien with large ears and black, pronounced eyes. "We can buy some time, rescue a few of our people and get some more firepower."

"I'm not leaving my friend there!" Finn said sharply. "She needs help."

"She seems pretty capable," Han pointed out, trying to avoid 3PO's awkward hug.

"We have to go now," Leia said finally. "We'll attack with what we've got. If we don't, the Resistance will die today. Our friends in the galaxy will have to wait."

Poe nodded. He knew she would do the right thing. There was no time to waste.

\----

Kylo Ren swept down the hallway to the cavernous meeting room. Snoke had chosen the natural cave underground for his quarters, though he was never there. Instead his projection would appear when summoned.

"I need to speak with the Supreme Leader," Kylo snapped at the officer at the door.

"I'm sorry, the General is inside," they replied, clasping their hands behind their back. At that moment, Hux stepped out, a slight grin on his face that disappeared when he saw Kylo waiting. He stared at Kylo, tilting his head slightly.

Kylo frowned at Hux, momentarily forgetting that he wasn't wearing his helmet. He composed his face into a neutral expression, and touched the blood that was trickling from his nose. He swiped it away and looked coldly at Hux "Anything to report, General?" he asked.

"The Supreme Leader has informed me where the Resistance is hiding," Hux said. "I have been given orders to attack when we have moved to the correct coordinates. Has your prisoner revealed anything of interest?" he asked, raising a coppery eyebrow.

Kylo frowned again at Hux, loathing the pale man. "You are not privy to that knowledge," he said coldly. "You are dismissed." He stepped past the General and went into the room, leaving him glaring.

The projection of Supreme Leader Snoke shimmered faintly in front of him as he walked down the length of the room.

"Kylo Ren," the leader murmured, his voice booming through the expanse of the room. "Leader of the Knights of Ren…" Kylo knelt, bowing his head. He could feel his lightsaber weighing heavily at his hip.

"Master," he greeted reverently.

"The General has told me you've brought a Resistance prisoner onboard," Snoke began. Kylo's mouth twitched into a deeper frown. "What have you discovered?"

"She is not a member of the Resistance," he replied, standing. "And she is strong with the Force, but untrained."

"And you let the droid escape." It was not a question.

"The girl has seen the map. I tried to pull it from her mind-"

"And you failed?" Snoke boomed, and Kylo stood, locking his knees, refusing to fall under the noise. "Against an untrained user?"

"I need guidance," he said through gritted teeth. "I can break her mind and get the map."

"The General will be firing on the Resistance base where they have hidden, now that they have the map," Snoke said. He looked down at Kylo, watching him. Kylo looked up at his master, struggling to keep his face neutral. The conversation was not going the way he wanted it to. He blamed Hux. He has ordered him not to talk to Snoke about the prisoner, but, as usual, the man hadn't listened to him. "If the Resistance survives and finds Skywalker, then our plans will be altered," Snoke said slowly, letting the words sink into Kylo. "The last Jedi will join their cause, and our position may be uncertain in the galaxy."

"They will be destroyed," Kylo said, shaking with resolve. His hands clenched into fists at his sides. "I will pull the map from the girl's mind, find Skywalker myself and destroy him."

"The girl… Where do her loyalties lie?" Snoke asked.

Kylo began to walk, pacing in front of the leader, his heart beating rapidly. "She has no idea of her abilities," he began. "She can be turned. I can see it. Her home as well as the Resistance doesn't know what she's capable of. They've allowed her to slip through the cracks." He looked up at Snoke and paused. "I can show her what she can do."

"That means nothing if she is not loyal to the First Order," Snoke considered

Kylo looked up to his master, frowning. "I can ensure that. Her mind is weak. She is alone."

"Take the map from her," Snoke ordered, leaning back. "Bring the girl to me, and I will decide her loyalty."

The projection vanished, leaving Kylo alone in the room. He paused in the room, staring at where his master was. He had misstepped, allowing the droid to escape. The girl was good enough though, he thought furiously, exiting the room. He would pull the map from her mind by pure force if need be. It would leave her broken, but that would make it easier to turn her away from the Resistance. He had seen it in her eyes when he was with her, when he told her the Resistance had allowed her to be taken.

He would have some time before he would meet Snoke with her. He could use that time to turn her, see what she was really capable of. Snoke insisted on meeting with every force sensitive person they found, whether it was Kylo who found them or another Knight on assignment in the galaxy. Few survived his scrutiny, and it was not known what happened to those who did. He had long suspected they were sent to a Knight for training, but he had not heard anything to prove this.

He was still deep in thought when he rounded the corner and saw the fallen stormtrooper. The one who was supposed to be guarding the girl. His blaster was gone.

Kylo clenched his fists.

\----

Ashe had begun to scream once the man left, calling for help, for anyone. She drummed her heels against the legs of the chair and twisted under the restraints. It gave her nothing but sore heels and a sore throat.

She sniffled, and a few tears dripped from her eyes. How had she let herself get into this mess she kept asking herself. It was foolish to get involved. She tilted her head back, blinking back more tears. No one was coming to save her. She didn't even know where she was. She would die here, alone in this galaxy. Her family would never know what would happen to her.

This brought on a fresh wave of tears and sadness as she thought of her family never knowing what happened. Saras, growing up without her. Her father, alone in his chair. Her mother, her pale blonde hair turning silver with age.

Ashe sobbed openly, tugging at the straps, her sadness transforming into a rage. It was hopeless but she didn't want to give up. She didn't want to give in. She didn't want to die here. She wanted to live. She wanted her friends. She wanted her family. She wanted out!

The groan of metal startled her out of her fit of rage, and she looked at the mangled cuffs. Her arm was free. She looked at her other arm. It was still in the cuffs. She wanted it to be free.

She stared at the metal and pulled her arm against the cuffs. The metal groaned and she persisted, glaring at the metal. She wanted the cuffs off and she pulled, freeing her arm. Her legs were next and she slid out of the chair, free.

She stared at her hands before wiping away her tears and blood. The door out opened, showing a Stormtrooper holding a blaster. She narrowed her eyes at him.


End file.
